I don’t watch the news on T.V. I don’t read the newspaper online, or a hard copy. I know almost nothing about current events beyond the small bits of information I glean from conversations. I am not trying to be ignorant, I am trying to surround myself with positivity, and our modern news is not at all about that. So, I put myself on an information diet. I worked to control the input of information into my life. Maybe I am ignorantly happy, or maybe we already have enough negativity in the world without me adding to it.
Have you noticed how much negativity there is in the world? This is easy to see in the way people speak, and their use of limiting phrases like “I don’t care,” or “it doesn’t matter.” The focus right now is on what cannot be achieved, not what can be done. I don’t know, maybe people are bombarded by so many distractions and so much negativity in the media that they have been conditioned to think with limitations. Or maybe, we have become discouraged by the state of the world. We expected hoverboards and floating cars and we got Instagram.
Regardless of the negativity, being a force for good means giving more than you get every single day. That is it. Nothing complicated. Just give to others, and you will be surprised to find how much you get in return even when you give without expectations.
Give More Than You Get
There is a pervading idea that if you do not get something from helping another then it isn’t worth the time. This, “what’s in it for me?” concept dictates that every action you take needs to benefit you. Doing good for the sake of doing good is lost to playing angles, looking for deals, and seeing how you can leverage the struggles of others for your own gain.
The irony of this is that by doing the right thing without expectation of anything in return you usually receive greater gains. But, sometimes shortsightedness makes us look at what is directly in front of us. What are we going to gain right now, instead of, how can I help?
Why Giving Matters
Doing good is a personal choice, and I am not telling you to go out of your way to help others. If you don’t see the value in it, then do not do it.
But, from experience I can tell you that helping others often brings unintended rewards. What is more, these rewards mean more because they come unexpected, not at the expense of someone who needs help.
The other fear many people have is job security or decreasing one’s value by helping others succeed. There is a worry that by helping someone gain new, valuable skills to get ahead, by giving away “trade secrets,” or by teaching someone how to win you cut yourself off at the knees.
I have never had this happen to me. In fact, the opposite has always occurred. Not only do I learn from giving to others and doing good, about myself and about being a better leader, person, mentor, and coach, but I become more valuable to others. My indispensability increases, not decreases. Giving actually creates value for yourself and others.
Investing In Doing Good
Finally, giving lets people know that you are playing a long game. You are investing in yourself and others. Instead of finding and taking any shortcut or quick and easy route, you are playing for keeps.
This means you already know and understand that shortcuts only get you so far and that at some point you need to invest in good values. People want to work with those that do the right thing because doing good business, making good money, partaking in good actions, means that you can be trusted to do right when things come to a head. Because they will.
Not everything will go as planned, and when those unexpected situations occur people will seek out role models to discover how they should respond. Being a force for good, instead of spreading darkness, will make you that person. Living a life as a force of good all starts with giving more than you get. Give without expectation of anything in return because things will work out just fine in the end.
Originally Published on HanksDailyDose.com
Photo by Elaine Casap on Unsplash