Doing Unto Others

By reaching out to others, helping, caring, and giving of yourself freely without any thought of personal gain, you will become a better and much happier person-and your impact will be felt forever. Like the ripple made when you cast a stone into water, the ripple effect you create by helping others is immeasurable. If you don't know how to do this on a large scale, do it on a small one.

I know a man who is a full-time truant officer for a small town north of Denver, and also a member of an Optimist Club. As a truant officer, he found that some children failed to attend school because they were trading days with their siblings-there was only one pair of shoes among them. Because he was touched so deeply, he decided to do something about it and began a fund-raising drive to buy
shoes for these youngsters. When he died, he left five thousand dollars to the Optimist Club, with instructions to invest it in a secure place and use the interest to continue buying shoes for needy children. Because of the lives this man has changed-and the many more he will continue to change-his memory will live in perpetuity.

One of the most rewarding social practices is letting others be valuable by giving to you. This can be very hard for many people. There are people who give and give, helping others do what they want or need to accomplish, but they won't allow others to help them. Some people will listen to your troubles but never share theirs. In most cases, the reason for this behavior is either pride or distrust. Giving is a good thing for everyone to do, and for every giver there has to be a receiver. If you won't allow others to give to you, you stop the process. Don't let pride or mistrust rob somebody of the privilege, growth, and pleasure of being there for you.

If you have a hard time receiving from others, or letting them see your deepest feelings, it's often because you have a Core Desire that makes you unwilling to appear weak or needy. Feeling this way may be so hard for you that you'll go to great lengths to avoid it. Your Core Desire may be to avoid, rather than get or achieve certain things.

Still, there is always a way you can reach out to others and show your concern for them on a larger scale. You can join local or national organizations or volunteer in your local school system. However you choose to give of your time, make sure it is a Core Desire. Keep looking for the 100s on your Core Desire Scale.

I know an eighty-eight-year-old woman who goes to a nursing home to help "the old people." She once told me, "I know I shouldn't call them 'old people,' but they are old, and they need my help." Her attitude keeps her from letting her own age and infirmities stop her.

People may not remember exactly what you said, but they will always remember how you treated them. Achieving your Core Desires becomes easier when you create solid, long- lasting, and mutually beneficial relationships.