Every morning when I wake up a few questions always pop up in my mind. Let’s have a look at a few of them:
Q: How can I play my part in making this world a better place to live?
Q: Will my struggle be remembered or even discussed after my death?
Q: Will I be able to do something for humanity that could leave a mark on others to come?
Q: What is the purpose of this transient life?
Q: Is my Legacy only limited to my family?
In striving to find the answers, I am penning down my thoughts with the intent of making the ones reading them happy or satisfied, if not both.
What does it mean to be a selfless person?
A selfless person is someone who volunteers for a service without expecting a payback.
Sharing is Caring:
Sharing is a lovely way to express your care for people around you. A common misconception about sharing that exists in most people is the idea that sharing is confined to material things with a monetary value. We desperately need to rectify this approach if we are to work for the goodwill of society. Love, ideas, knowledge, smile, positivity, gratitude are intangible things that cost nothing but can have a significant impact on building a peaceful community.
For instance, how can a mother entrench the ‘sharing is caring’ value in her kid? While a mother is giving a lunch box to her kid, even a suggestion of sharing lunch with friends could mean a lot. More significant results can be achieved in the long run with this kind of brought up.
People who hesitate to share their knowledge with others are the ones who are self-centered and will not be able to enhance their knowledge & experience.
Because sharing knowledge is always bidirectional. Even if you share an ordinary piece of information, the listener’s questions might give you a different perspective to look at it. So, you always get to learn something each time you share information with others.
Make life easy for others & encourage them:
Wherever you are and whatever you may be doing, whether it is a professional life or your personal life, develop habits of making things easy for people around you and don’t expect anything in return, the end product of this behavior will be generous, trust me.
If you expect satisfaction out of it, you may end up being disappointed that leads to demotivation in the long run. Keep reminding yourself that the objective is to live for centuries. Give hope to the hopeless. Encourage people, and God will encourage you. Making life easy for others will give more meaning to your life; you could become a more caring spouse, a more caring parent, or a more loving friend.
Measures of Happiness need to be rectified:
In the conquest of becoming selfless one needs to be clarified about one question:
What is the everlasting source of Happiness?
The answer is that your intent behind doing humanitarian/selfless acts must be to please the creator; God. Otherwise, if your happiness is based on human reactions or expectations, you will not be able to become selfless.
After death, you will be forgotten even by your parents, wife, children, siblings, and friends. All these people are those who use to say you we cannot live without you; they won’t even talk about you when you are gone. Some of you may disagree, but this is the reality.
If this is the result after living a life of 60 to 70 years, what is the point of coming to this world then?
Since we are aware of the end by following a proactive approach, we need to bring positive changes in our life, and that is to become selfless and try to live for centuries.
Motivation as a flexible power tool:
Motivation is a source of inspiration. But this source can be different for different people. So we cannot confine motivation to specific subjects.
Below is a list of various sources of motivation:
- Success
- Respect
- Money
- Business
- Education
- Food
- Creativity
- Philanthropy
- Wealth creation
- Morality
- Fashion
- Leisure
- Traveling
- Change
Once your source of motivation is defined, there comes a time when you can motivate others and make this world a better place. But the thing is that one should be motivated enough to be able to encourage others.
Also Read: Change; the only constant in this world
There comes a time when one’s motivation would reflect in the other person’s life which is not only beneficial for the one whose life took a decisive turn because of the motivation but the one who motivated them.
The happiness of making someone’s life better can warm many winters. A kind word said once can have an impact that could last for centuries.
Also, it is essential to clarify that the kind of personality trait that I am talking about does not demand to be recognized or given credit for. People who intend to make a difference in other people’s lives and what to see this world a better place don’t need to be labeled as such. They are happy to serve humanity and don’t expect anything in return. Their optimism and encouragement that may be passed to generations-after-generation is what keeps their ideas alive even when they are no more. This is the kind of eternal living I am talking about.
For a better understanding, read the case studies below:
Two Motivational personalities with a different scope of serving Humanity:
Usually, when we talk about serving humanity, the first thing which comes to our mind is philanthropy. In a journey of becoming selfless, generosity is just one approach like other 14 approaches that have been discussed above. I am going to explain two methods out of those, as mentioned earlier for better understanding.
- Wealth creation
- Philanthropy
Steve Jobs
The guy does not need an introduction; he was the co-Founder of Apple Incorporation. What was the real driving force behind the success of this company? Apple incorporation is the first public U.S company to hit one-trillion-dollars-mark within a span of a few decades. No matter how many may come and go, the pioneer is always remembered.
Ever thought how Steve jobs achieved this milestone in such a short time? The quote I am about to mention might give you the answer:
“We are here to put a dent on the universe. Otherwise why else even be here”
Now many people might be thinking after reading the above example that how can Steve jobs be categorized as a selfless person? Well, the answer to this is wealth creation.
Millions of people’s livelihood depend on Apple one way or another. Direct income belongs to employees and suppliers of Apple incorporation. But indirect revenue has a domino effect. People are earning through the supply chain of Apple products around the globe.
Steve jobs, after achieving little success, could have retired to enjoy his life with family and travel all around the world. But his real Leisure lay in his this quote:
And this is what made him strive for better and even better than better always. When you are not selfless, your success scale will also be limited because your needs are limited, and you will not be able to come out of your comfort zone. But on the other hand, if you are a selfless person, you will try to achieve more while trying to make this world a better place to live in by creating unlimited economic opportunities to the public. Yes, performing more here does not refer to the mundane means one earns for them. But it means to achieve something that benefits the majority.
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa was born in Albania in 1910 and is considered as the greatest humanitarian of the 20th century. She is a source of inspiration, especially for the philanthropists. She devoted all her life to helping people in need.
Her goals were to aid the unwanted, unloved and uncared for.
Mother Teresa established the missionaries of charity in 1950.
These missionaries care for homeless people, Educate poor, medication for people suffering from HIV aids, mentally sick people, refugees, and many others. At the time of her death in 1997, the total number of her missionaries was more than 4,000 all around the world serving humanity. She helped people beyond religious boundaries and was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1979. She also received the award of “Jewel of India.”
Back when she was in her youth, her mother invited some people over dinner. On inquiring about which guests are going to come for dinner, her mother not only gave her an answer but a perspective which mother Teresa stuck to for the rest of her life:
“Some of are our relations, but all of them are our people”
When you become Selfless. Serving Humanity becomes limitless.
