Why do we help others? There is a whole lot of pain and poverty, illness and despair in the world. I can't speak for you but I would like to make a difference and improve the quality of life for others. Volunteer work is a great way to begin.
No single person can change the entire world but you can have an impact on the lives of others in your own corner of the universe. That, in a small way, changes the world ever so slightly. Multiply that by a billion and it is a brave new world.
How many times have you heard people say " You can't change the world. You are just one person?" It begins with one. Forget all that nonsense the defeatists choose to fill there heads with. That's their business. The contents of your head is all that matters.
Your happiness counts. How can you share your happiness if you have none to share? You can't be happy if you put others happiness ahead of your own. You have to put yourself first in order to have the tools to affect change.
I don't know how many people I have met that speak of all the hungry people of the world living in poverty. And how they dream of helping them. These are people that are wallowing in consumer debt, the working poor, just inches away from bankruptcy. They want to help others when they cannot even dream of themselves living in prosperity. Such noble nonsense.
If you want to help your family, help your community or change the world, you have to help yourself first. You have to be selfish for pete's sake! It's not a sin or a crime to put yourself first. You have to lead by example. Nobody chooses to follow the disempowered.
Make your happiness and peace of mind your number one priority. Once you have that you have the power to really affect change. Helping others is a wonderful thing. Look at the global efforts to help the Tsunami victims and affected areas. You could rationalize it and say that helping is the right thing to do, that contributing to any good cause is the right thing to do. I agree.
But, we are not motivated by our intellect or rationalizations. It is emotion that moves us to act. Helping out makes us feel good and inversely we know that watching others suffer and not helping when we know we can will make us feel miserable. We don' t want to make ourselves unhappy.
If you can truly be honest with yourself you will see that beneath all the sentiment is a need to tend to our own happiness. I like to volunteer because it makes me feel good. That is the bottom line. The rest is just window-dressing. I have a selfish desire to feel good and so do you. There is nothing wrong with that.
Yoga, meditation and prayer make me feel good, too. Can you call those selfish pursuits? How about attending church or worshipping your higher power? Do those things make you feel good? Of course they do or you would not do them. If pursuing your own emotional well-being and feeling good is not what you would consider selfish, than I think that the term "selfish" is highly misunderstood.
Tend to your "self" first. Be selfish. Then and only then can you really make a difference.
David Parton
Helping others and myself Improve their income and boost their health and energy levels with Tahitian Noni Juice.
http://the_noni_blog.typepad.com/noni/
recurring cleaning service Wilmette ..Remember Des'ree? She had a great song out in 1994,... Read More
As we enter this holiday season, and this time of... Read More
Many people who suffer from low self-esteem would give anything... Read More
There are only two emotions we can experience; love or... Read More
Our lives are overflowing with negative information from the newspapers,... Read More
Water is an important tool for magic rituals in many... Read More
Looking around at our circumstances we may see only mountains... Read More
"There is an infinitely worthier subject for philosophers (to study)... Read More
Changing Negative Thoughts into Positive Thoughts is a key lesson... Read More
A balanced life not only leaves you feeling more fulfilled;... Read More
You've heard the buzzwords: Attitude is everything! Change your perspective!... Read More
Woe is me... life has dealt me a bad hand...... Read More
In the international bestseller, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell explains how researchers... Read More
What do you do when things in your life don't... Read More
With the probable exception of some basic instincts ? or... Read More
Fear is a double-edged sword. It can hold you back... Read More
Emotions are controlled by a combination of reason and action.... Read More
"The knowledge of actions or events before they occur; foresight."You... Read More
Attitude, has a way of preening itself, often without awareness... Read More
Why do we have such a downer on Pollyanna? After... Read More
Recently, a lady came to see me and she had... Read More
Ten tips to transform your move into a creative life... Read More
Have you ever known someone like this? "A person who... Read More
Normally I race around multitasking. I am always thinking about... Read More
"Most overnight successes are just plain lucky. Just ask any... Read More
reliable maid service Morton Grove ..Words, Ignorance, and Casper The Friendly Ghost!Do your best to... Read More
Hey gang; Ok it's time to create some good habits.... Read More
No matter how positive a person we are overall, there... Read More
You've heard the buzzwords: Attitude is everything! Change your perspective!... Read More
"We can change our circumstances by a mere change of... Read More
Well you know about the young hero who saved his... Read More
Lately, there has been a collective challenge to avoid being... Read More
As I walked my dogs recently on what "should" have... Read More
Not Amen, just so we're clear on that.AND.The little connector... Read More
"For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is... Read More
Lately, I've been hearing that it's not okay to have... Read More
At some point in our careers, we may find ourselves... Read More
In order to learn how to relieve ourselves of self-defeating... Read More
Life can be downright scary - sometimes more than others.... Read More
Do you ever find yourself thinking, "Life has taught me... Read More
Recently, I coached a young woman whom I'll call Mary... Read More
Who are the Whiners? Whiners are the people who always... Read More
Do you talk with yourself? When we hear people talking... Read More
"Putting ourselves down, is an insult to our worth." --Helen... Read More
Everyone faces challenges during their life, from suffering the death... Read More
The other day one of my "challenging clients" and I... Read More
Whether it's the other kids making fun of you at... Read More
Imagine what your life would be like if you could... Read More
With the beginning of a new year, are you happy... Read More
Few people are aware of the thoughts that pass through... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |