{"id":8772,"date":"2012-11-28T06:02:22","date_gmt":"2012-11-28T13:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/becomingblog.wpengine.com\/?p=8772"},"modified":"2012-11-30T21:30:33","modified_gmt":"2012-12-01T04:30:33","slug":"happiness-in-helping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/happiness-in-helping\/","title":{"rendered":"Experiencing Happiness in Helping Others"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/helping-others.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8773\" title=\"helping-others\" src=\"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/helping-others.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/helping-others.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/helping-others-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;Not the maker of plans and promises, but rather the one who offers faithful service in small matters. This is the person who is most likely to achieve what is good and lasting.&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe<\/p>\n<p>Many people view life as a pyramid with those on the bottom serving those above them. They envy the people at the top believing joy and happiness is obtained by being served. And thus, they strive. They passionately seek the top of the world&#8217;s imaginary pyramid.\u00a0They reach desperately for the money, fame, or power that would seat them higher in the world&#8217;s affections. Unfortunately, they often don\u2018t realize their pursuits are misplaced until they have already sacrificed countless good gifts and simple joys along the way.<\/p>\n<p>Life is actually more fulfilling down below.<\/p>\n<p>Choosing intentionally to help others flips life upside-down. In helping others rather then seeking our own gain, we find great freedom. Service to others results in liberty. We are able to say no to modern culture\u2018s games of promotion and authority. We live lives of less stress, less anxiety, and less frustration. We begin to feel more fulfilled, more complete, more alive. Living for others completely abolishes our need for a pecking order. It becomes a great weight off our shoulders when we no\u00a0longer seek power and mastery over others. Real joy is found not in being served, but in choosing to serve.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>And experiencing this unexpected happiness and freedom is not as hard as some might think:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Open your eyes to the needs around you.<\/strong> People who need your\u00a0help exist all around you\u2014in your home, your neighborhood, and your work place. The first, most important step is to simply notice them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Do something to move them forward.<\/strong> Even if you don\u2018t have all the answers or facts,\u00a0jump in and help as best you know how. Refuse to use the excuse, &#8220;But I don\u2018t know what to do&#8221; or &#8220;I can help tomorrow.&#8221; Assess their need, offer some help, and follow through right away.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Joyfully pay the price.<\/strong> Service to others always costs something\u2014sometimes money, sometimes time, sometimes reputation, and almost always energy. See the price. Pay it anyway. And enjoy the return on investment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4.\u00a0Do not expect something in return.<\/strong> Remove the what&#8217;s-in-it-for-me question that motivates so many people today. Help with no expectation of repayment. And you will be repaid with joy and fulfillment in countless other ways.<\/p>\n<p>Those who constantly strive for the top have misplaced their pursuits. But we don&#8217;t have to. We can <a href=\"http:\/\/sethgodin.typepad.com\/seths_blog\/2012\/11\/in-a-hurry-to-be-generous.html\">rush<\/a> today to experience the lasting happiness of helping others.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small; text-align: right;\">Image:\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"font-size: x-small; text-align: right;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nicholas_t\/281820290\/sizes\/l\/\">Nicholas T<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Not the maker of plans and promises, but rather the one who offers faithful service in small matters. This is the person who is most likely to achieve what is good and lasting.&#8221; &#8211; Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Many people view life as a pyramid with those on the bottom serving those above them. They [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[440],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Experiencing Happiness in Helping Others<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/happiness-in-helping\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Experiencing Happiness in Helping Others\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&#8220;Not the maker of plans and promises, but rather the one who offers faithful service in small matters. 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