Helping yourself by helping others

Fun is not a dirty word. Seriously. In fact, fun is your secret weapon, in business, in life in your relationships in challenging times, good times, and frustrating times and whether you feel like it or not. Happiness is your secret weapon. How long has it been since you have experienced that amazing contagious, unstoppable head dizzying happiness? How long has it been since you put your head back and laughed until you had tears running down your face? And maybe even your legs? How long has it been since you laughed so hard, your face hurt and your ribs felt like someone punched to you? For most of us, the answer is, it's been way too long. So where is the joy we once felt? And can we get it back? What if there was a way? Well ready your face muscles. The fun is not a dirty word challenge begins Monday, May 17, and runs five days through Friday, May 21. And all you have to do is head to the link in the show notes and get enrolled. It's 100%. free for you. And my dear, I can't wait to prove to you that fun is not only not a dirty word, but it is what you need. Every single day. Back when I was in high school, I was going through a particularly trying time as teenagers well. And I had a very wise teacher say to me that if I wanted to get through easier if I wanted to get through this time quicker. And if I wanted to learn the most that I possibly could out of this situation, then I could turn my attention to others that I could focus on helping others. At the time, it didn't make a lot of sense to me.

But I was willing to put it to the test. And this teacher was right. finding someone to help. finding someone to help not only helped them feel better, but it helped me feel better. It helped me find a solution. And it helped me find a better solution. And we both benefited the person I helped and me. There's an old saying that says a willing helper doesn't wait until she is asked or he a willing helper doesn't wait until she or he is asked. And when you help others. When you help others. Not only are they helped, but you are helped. Volunteering time, money and energy to help others doesn't just make the world better, it makes you better. And there are now scientific studies indicating that the very act of giving back to others to your community. It boosts happiness, your happiness, your health, your sense of well being. Helping others can help you live longer. So if you want to extend that lifespan, think about regularly assisting at a soup kitchen, maybe coaching Little League, maybe helping out on the PTA, or helping out with the bake sale or or raking leaves for elderly in the neighborhood or maybe you drive someone some maybe you drive an elderly person who can no longer drive to get their hair done. These kinds of activities these giving activities can improve health in ways that can lengthen your lifespan.

See, here's the thing when you volunteer science is showing that the that volunteering gives you an improved ability to manage your stress and stave off disease as well as reduce your rates of depression and increase your life. life satisfaction when you did these things on a regular basis, because we don't want to talk, we don't want to turn this into a manipulation. We're not helping others to get something out of it. We're helping others because it's the right thing to do. And when you regularly focus on others, you become a better person. And when you become a better person, your stress is reduced, which can help you live longer. So it's not about manipulating, helping. It's about truly desiring to be the best you that you can be. You see, altruism is contagious. And I used to wonder, I used to wonder, I may not I may be the only one but I can't. I don't think I am. I wasn't quite sure what altruism meant. So I'm just going to tell you just in case, just in case you're wondering, okay, yeah, that's great. Well, what does it mean? It's the belief in or the practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well being of others altruism. This is from the dictionary, from the Oxford Dictionary, the belief in or the practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well being others. For example, a student who helps class classmates study for a test to missionaries working for oppressed people, parent who sacrifices their whole life for the future of their children.

Those are definitions of altruism, and altruism is contagious. So when one person performs a good deed, it can cause a chain reaction of other altruistic acts, altruistic acts. And one scientific study found that people are more likely to perform feats of generosity after observing someone else do something generous, it causes this ripple throughout throughout the people, the community and inspires dozens of individuals to make a difference. So think about, think about a skipping rock over a lake. So you skip that rock out, and it causes ripples. And they just keep going and pretty soon they're spread out amongst the whole lake, one ripple Can he can go across the entire lake. That's, that's how volunteering, catches on to other people around you, it causes this ripple effect. Helping others also makes us happy. One scientific study found that those Americans who describe themselves as very happy people volunteered about six hours a month. They consider themselves very happy. And those people were found to volunteer about six hours a month. Easy giving back gives us a mental boost. It's a it's a sense of a reward. When we help others. It may even help with chronic pain. When you are when you are focused on others, it's kind of like, you know, like when someone says, Oh, my, my head hurts. Well, here, let me step on your toe. When I do that, you'll be so focused on your toe, you won't notice your head. It's kind of that kind of thing. When you're helping others, you forget about your own pain. When you focus on other people. It can even help lower blood pressure. How's that for an amazing benefit of reaching out and helping others? And teenagers, it promotes positive behavior. Help your teens know how to volunteer at a soup kitchen. Maybe working at a food bank, maybe delivering food to someone who can't get out.

Maybe it's someone who is in a home sick or maybe maybe they cannot drive anymore. Maybe it's an elderly person who can't drive. I often wonder now my mom lives with us now, and we take care of her. But if she was still living in her home alone, I often wonder who who would be there to help her? And what would it what would the outcome be of that person who was helping her? There were people who helped her when she lived alone, she lived about three and a half hours from us. And there were people who showed up family and friends who showed up to help her. The Blessing wasn't just to my mom that rippled out to me to my brother, knowing that there was somebody there to help an elderly woman who needed help. You see, helping others gives us a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

So if you're looking for more meaning in your day to day existence, volunteer, volunteer, that might be a little bit trickier right now because of the tail end of this pandemic that we're in but you can find with To help others, maybe you deliver warm bread around your neighborhood one day, or maybe you go to someone's driveway and put a happy message in sidewalk chalk on their driveway. Maybe you hang balloons around the mailboxes, maybe you buy 15 balloons, and you go around and you just tie one to everybody's mailbox. Maybe you send out a card every single day, to someone just offering them peace and hope and happiness.

Focusing on others will help your pain dissipate. Focusing on others, creates a ripple effect. The next time you're feeling a little low, try finding someone else to help

that person will feel better. And so will you. Let me read this old saying again, a willing helper doesn't wait until she he or she is asked. A willing helper is there to help no matter what, no matter when volunteering is an amazing feeling. Giving simply because it's the right thing to do. Will will help you to become that amazing better person that you are striving to become. Sometimes we get so caught up in doing things we think that we quote unquote need to do reading our personal development and, and getting up in the morning and doing our morning routine. I am not Pooh poohing those things. Those are all amazing things, getting your workout and drinking your water. These are all great things. But if you truly want to become the best you you can be spend some time every week volunteering, helping others. Is there someone in your neighborhood that could use a ride to a doctor's appointment? Or to work every day? Is there a co worker whose car has broken down and you could offer them a ride to work? Yeah, it's going to take you out of your way. Yeah, you're going to have to get up a little earlier. Yes, it's going to take effort. But the payoff to them and to you is more than worth it. I challenge you. I'm challenging me and you this week, this week and going forward. That we spend time every week helping others.

This is my challenge is my challenge to me and I wanted to share it with you. And your journal prompt goes right along with it. I am becoming a better me by helping others this week. I am helping others by doing fill in the blank. I am becoming the best me that I can be by helping others this week. I am helping others this week by doing fill in the blank. I am all about growth and helping others and having fun along the way. It's a lesson that is that is coming to me almost on a daily basis, going to different doctor's appointments and making it a point to leave the waiting room better than it was when I came into it. I learned that lesson the hard way. My mom taught me that lesson. That's all other podcast. Every room you go in, leave it a better place than you found that help others. Have fun. I love you.