Daniel Goleman
The fifth and last secret we must learn to live a fulfilling life is to give more than we take. Learning to give of ourselves and worry about the cares of others rather than our own produces feelings of satisfaction and happiness in our life. As one of the interviewees in the book The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die states, “if you are unhappy, get busy doing something for someone else. If you focus on others you will find happiness.”
Too often our society teaches us that self-indulgence, praise, and money are the things that will bring us happiness in life. However, living for yourself most often leads to misery and dissatisfaction with oneself as well as the world. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. declared, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” Like Dr. King, we “start living” by overcoming self-centeredness.
Serving and loving others may seem insignificant, but the impact it can have on your own life as well as the lives of others can be very powerful. Each kind act of service, no matter how small, almost always generates other kind acts sending ripples of hope and kindness to others. The act of serving others is a reciprocal cycle meaning one act of service toward someone almost always inspires another act of service.
Concentrating on giving more than we take helps our own worries disappear and fade away. Realizing that helping others can positively impact your life is a great lesson to learn. For those who give more than they take, they are able to leave this life when their time comes, completely satisfied.
No comments:
Post a Comment