This is a guest post by my friend Stuart Mills.
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
Are you inspired to help others?
It’s a bit of a trick question, I admit, as sometimes we are highly inspired to help others, performing incredible amounts of generousity for others. Other times, we don’t feel up to it for whatever reason, and the inspiration leaves us. Sometimes we can’t seem to get the motivation going.
But what motivates you in the first place?
But what motivates you in the first place? What inspires you to ‘be great’ and help others out. Maybe write a blog post, or leave a helpful blog comment, or send a useful link. Or, outside of the blogging universe, helping an old lady across the road? What motivates you to be a force for good in this world?
My Reasoning
This question was posed to me in the form of ‘homework’ for a new counseling course that I have recently started, and I have wrote up my answer as required. But then it got me thinking, “how would others answer this question?”. There are some very unique bloggers out there, that help others in different ways. So now, I have decided to ask you this question, “What motivates you to help others?”
To show that I’m a good sport, here’s my answer to the question:
“For the past three years, I’ve developed a desire within myself to help others. It initially came about from reading a book I received at Christmas 2007, titled “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”, and since reading, I have experienced a deep wish to help others become better individuals, and to experience better lives.
Thinking about it, I believe this drive has been a part of me since I was a child, but I hadn’t been able to do anything about it due to my childhood upbringing of “yourself before others”. I’d been taught to put myself first, and to achieve great success for myself and no-one else. And I had digested this belief as an integral part of my being, until that fateful Christmas, when the ‘great shift’ began from focusing on myself, to focusing on others.
This, in part, motivates me to help others; there are many people out there in the world who are less fortunate than me. They’ve yet to read a life-changing book, they’ve yet to experience a shift in their very mode of living, they’ve yet to realize that they can live a better day-to-day existence than the one they currently have. It’s this lack of awareness of people’s true potential that inspires and motivates me to selfless give my time and knowledge to others, so that I can help them the way I’ve been helped.
Selflessly giving to others is a very high ideal, which I constantly strive for. I haven’t yet reached it, as I still harbor thoughts of greed and envy from time to time, and I doubt I will ever reach a perfect level like the Buddha or Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t stop me from continuing to reach. The very feeling of giving without any aim of getting makes me feel good inside. It invigorates me to help more, and to connect with other people in the hopes that I can help them too.
This, I believe is my ultimate aim: to help change the world into a better place to live. I don’t mean shaping the world to fit my personal ideals, because my ideals are my own and no-one else’s. Rather, I wish to help the world to help itself, one person at a time. I believe attending courses such as Introduction To Counseling, and gaining more knowledge of helping others, will enable me to better serve the world and its inhabitants.
This aim is my life’s aim, my life’s purpose. To have a purpose that transcends your individual life is the best way to live, as you ensure that what you have done lives on after you’re gone. Rather than focusing on gaining achievements and success for yourself, it’s better to focus on future generations, and what you can do for the future of the world. To live for that which will still exist after you’ve gone, is the most useful way you can live.
It’s this life purpose that ultimately motivates me to help others.”
So what drives you to give to others, and make their lives better? What inspires you to assist your fellow brethren in whatever struggle they’re involved in? What motivates you to help others?
Stuart Mills is an experienced writer who wants to help you improve at life. He thinks you’re awesome. You can often find him at Unlock The Door, where he writes constantly to make it a better day for everyone, and you can subscribe to his content here.
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Andrea, it was a pleasure writing this post for you, and I know I’ve sent it to the right place.
Thanks for the glorious opportunity :-)
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Hi Stuart,
It’s my pleasure to have you here. Thanks for this beautiful piece,my friend! Loving blessings
Hi Stuart,
This is a very thought provoking article.
For me I am well aware that in the larger scheme of things I won’t be around forever. If I cannot make an impact in a major way, I hope to make an impact in a small way and more importantly, not leave a mess behind me. Helping others is important because we are all in the same boat which is this Earth. This means that the choices and actions of everyone on this planet could well affect everyone else in some way. Thus if by helping we can make the lives of others better, this might go some way in setting a chain of actions in motion where the world benefits eventually. The important thing is not to cause a series of disasters indirectly simply because we did not lend a hand.
For me, it does not make sense not to lend a helping hand if it is within our means to do so. This is simply the responsible thing to do. I for one could not bear to see others in pain or suffering and if my words of encouragement or help in some form could alleviate their pain in some way, I would be more than happy to give it. Knowing that others do not have to go through needless problems is reason enough for me to lend a hand.
Thank you for writing this article Stuart and thank you for sharing it Andrea! :)
Irving the Vizier
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Wow Irving, that was a comment and a half! Thanks for sharing, that was very inspirational and moving.
You made a great point when you talk about not leaving mess behind us. That’s very profound. I remember Mother Teresa saying, “If everyone only cleaned their doorstep, the whole world would be clean”. Leaving mess behind you means that someone else then has to deal with it, it doesn’t just ‘go away’.
Would love to continue this chat Irving :-)
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This is thought provoking. I feel that the best thing in life is a life of service. You pointed out some great ideas on this post that highlights this core belief I’ve always had. Nicely written article!
Thanks Baker, happy to be of service :-)
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It’s baked into my core values of lifting others up and making others great.
I want to improve the quality of life for as many people as I can as long as I can.
One of my core missions is to empower people with skill.
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I like that word J.D, “baked”. It’s part of your very fabric of being, and there shall it stay ;-)
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Hi Stuart,
I believe it’s why I’m here on earth, my purpose. I was raised Catholic and service was baked (I like the word as well) into my DNA. I’m not a practicing Catholic and haven’t been for a long time. However I think it was one of the best things I got from that religion…the desire and willingness to help others.
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Hi Tess, I completely agree with you.
I’m not a Christian, and have no intention of being, but I have read sections of The Bible and understood that without the desire and the drive to help others, without putting yourself first, then you aren’t living life to its absolute fullest.
The willingness to help others comes from the heart, no matter what religion you belong to, or even whether you’re religious at all :-)
New from Stuart – Unlock The Elevation- Interview With Bryan Thompson
Compassion Stuart, compassion.
Every year I organise a collection for Christian Aid.
I organise about ten collectors and I cover an area myself.
Takes ages to phone people, take round the envelopes, collect the envelopes, count the money, bank the money…. you get the picture.
Each year I say that I won’t get involved next year, but I always do.
Why? Compassion.
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Hey Keith, thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Interesting that the keyword for compassion is ‘passion’ isn’t it? By being passionate about helping others and raising funds for a strong cause, this has enabled you to do the mass amount of effort required to organise such an undertaking.
Keep doing the collections Keith; no matter how hard they may seem, do you think it’s worth it in the end? :-)
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Hi Stuart,
I’m not a Hindu but I believe in karma.
To be more precise, I believe that every act of goodness a person performs has positive meaning beyond the act itself. It sweetens the world, spreading like the ripples in a pond to encompass others who are not touched by the initial act itself. It returns in the end to the giver, traveling in a circle as all things return to the source.
In this sense, being kind is not only the highest morality, it is also the greatest form of self-interest.
Steve, that was very nicely put, thank you for sharing.
The ripple effect is a great example of how our deeds affect others. Even the smallest stone can reach the banks of the lake :-)
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Hi!
I’d like to say that I love this article. You did a great job, Stuart.
Thanks Emma, much appreciated :-)
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Hi Stuart,
This was exactly what I needed today. Thanks!
Hey David, no problem! Go out and face the world head on ;-)
New from Stuart – The Core Of Self-Love
Hello Stuart,
This is a wonderful article. Let me share my motivation of helping others.
There are a lot of motivation that allows me to help others. Two of them are the following:
1.It allows me to recognize certain blessings that God has given as compared to others.
2.Helping others gives me the greatest happiness in life for I am able to extend the blessing that God has provided me to others particularly the less fortunate ones.
Regards,
RichHartford
Hey Richard, thanks for your comment!
Extending blessings is a great way to help others, sharing the wisdom and knowledge that you’ve obtained. I salute you :-)
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Very interesting question Stuart. For me first and foremost I strive to be the best ‘me’ fully intact with my values and ethics which, I guess, naturally means I connect to and seek to offer my true self to others. But beyond that I think it’s genetically encoded within us to help and give to other human beings this only going missing when we reject caring and sharing or are so lost from our own happiness. Perhaps an even more powerful question could therefore be, ‘What motivates you to NOT help others?’ then some interesting responses could arise. Keep up the stellar contribution you are making all over the blogsphere my friend!!
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John, I hadn’t thought of it like that before!
That’s interesting, maybe the trick then is to discover the potential consequences that could arise from choosing not to help others.
That’s got me thinking now John, thanks ;-)
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Stu,
You are everywhere. I think I just saw you at the local store where I buy my groceries. Save some of the web for the rest of us. :-) Now to get to business.
I was raised in a city that was full of crime and underprivilaged youth. I witnessed brilliant children miss out on opportunities due to the negligence of their ignorant parents. In spite of all the odds that were in front of me I was one that had a support system that helped me make it out. I want to be that support system for someone else. In life some people start off with a really crappy hand of cards. I want to teach them how to make the most of the the cards they were dealt and I wouldn’t do the world any justice if I didn’t.
I was lucky to have someone step in and help me, how dare I not do the same with someone else. Outstanding job Stu.
Lol Frank, I try to get a slice of every pie ;-)
Some people seem to start off a lot more fortunate than others, due to their local area, or their families, or their other peers. It’s a shame, as you say, that potential brilliance could be snuffed out due to someone else’s deep hates spilling out.
Thanks for sharing Frank :-)
New from Stuart – Value 101- Part 7
Hi Stuart,
This is a very interesting topic to be discussed. Thank you for writing it and making your readers to start to think about helping others.
To me, what motivates me a lot to help others is by implementing right ways of life until I become successful. For example exercising all things spiritually and with all the humanities until I find prosperity in my life.This is because having the intention to help people is not only when you are aware and know that you want to help them, but also without your awareness and without realizing, people come and thank you by being a good example and role model to them to be successful too.
Believe me, by understanding the reason why God created you on earth has been enough to motivate me help others – as helping others is also one of our great responsibilities.
Thanks again for sharing.
Cheers!
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In the beginning we help others because we learned that helping others makes our life better, we attract people who are helpful…but as we keep practicing helpfulness..it becomes a habit and then you don’t need a reason…
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Interesting read. When I was in search of answers and I asked for help, no one bothered. Everything that I’ve learned today, is all self thought through trial and errors. i’ve done my best to learn things myself. I do not want others to feel the same way I felt when I wanted help. hence I help people in need in any way I can.
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This is a very interesting topic. I believe that every act of goodness a person performs has positive meaning beyond the act itself. It sweetens the world, spreading like the ripples in a pond to encompass others who are not touched by the initial act itself. It returns in the end to the giver, traveling in a circle as all things return to the source.
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well for me knowing that i’ll have a good feeling afterwards and also everything you do comes right back at you. but sadly others doesn’t know this or they do but could care less.
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