When you have a moment, stop to think about this, please: If you knew for certain something you said or did actually helped another person, would you do it? Probably the answer is yes -- especially since you're reading this on a website created by an organization called the Humanity Project. You're already interested in making the world better. If not, you probably wouldn't be looking at this post. But here's my point. I've slowly realized over the years that I sometimes don't say or do things that could be helpful to others ... only because I don't truly believe those things will help. It's lack of confidence in my ability to be useful. This feeling has prevented me on many occasions from offering a compliment, grabbing something off a tall grocery shelf, even just smiling when I didn't feel the other person would respond.
And I think this same misunderstanding holds back lots of us from showing more respect and kindness in daily life. And from doing more to help other people. From our perspective, the words or actions seem so small. At the giving end, we don't believe we'll make anything better. But from the other person's perspective, it all looks different. At the receiving end, that compliment, that helping hand, that smile may mean a lot. And may be remembered for a long while.
In your own life, how many times has a sincere and unexpected compliment really touched you? Have there been moments when someone's unsolicited help gave your attitude a lift? When another person smiled in a way that made your day? I'll bet you know what I mean. To them, maybe, it seemed no big deal. To you it was a very big deal. We need to find faith in our own powers to help others, I believe -- in these small ways, but in larger ways too. For instance, many folks don't volunteer because, well, they probably won't really accomplish anything. Who would want their assistance, guidance, advice? I am convinced that our genuine efforts to help others really do make a meaningful difference in their lives. If we're doing it for the applause, then perhaps this self-centered attitude will dilute our words or actions. But if we honestly want to contribute something positive to the world, the world will take notice.
