Want to Inspire and Help Others? Here Are Some Things to Do First

Life is a great adventure, and a major part of that adventure is developing ourselves professionally, and striving to achieve our various goals and ambitions to the best of our ability which could include to inspire people.

But what happens if you’ve been successful on the path, and feel like you should be branching out somehow?

Well, for many people, the desire naturally arises to inspire and help others to move past their own shortcomings and doubts, and to achieve their goals and live happy and prosperous lives.

For some people, this desire is so strong that they structure, or restructure, their entire careers around this fundamental purpose – for example, by obtaining a Master of Social Work degree  and getting involved with community initiatives at the soonest possible opportunity.

But what if you’re an ordinary person, who wants to inspire and help others? Well, not so fast. Here are a few things that you should do first.

Understand the importance of “skin in the game”

The author, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, is famous for having several bestseller books about the disproportionate impact that unforeseen events have on society, and related phenomena.

More recently, however, he also authored a book entitled “Skin in the Game.” In this book, the author makes a compelling argument that having “skin in the game” and exposing yourself to risk, is essential for acting with integrity. According to him, systems that have “skin in the game” built in are forced to function in a healthy manner, or else die off.

When you’re trying to help others, it’s really important that you have something to lose if your advise or actions are bad. For one thing, this will make you more cautious, and compassionate – less likely to make grand pronouncements that might have destructive outcomes.

Work to turn yourself into the kind of person you can respect

If you want other people to be inspired by your example, and to use that inspiration to improve their own lives, you first and foremost have to work on turning yourself into the kind of person you can truly respect.

What this means, in practice, is that you always act with integrity, and avoid doing things that would shame you if other people knew about them.

Kids naturally follow their parents’ example, and pay less attention to their words. This applies for people in general. If you want to set a good example, you actually have to set a good example. Not just say nice things. Be a good listener and share constructive criticism to encourage others.

Learn when to take a hands-on approach, and when to take a hands-off one

If you want to help people in broader society, it’s important to learn when to take a hands-on approach, and went to take a hands-off one. A basic guideline that can be helpful here, is to realize that no one can be helped, unless they want help. A secondary guideline is that you need to look after yourself, while looking after others.

Put the two together, and you’ll find many instances where it’s best to lead by a positive example rather than direct action. Sometimes, direct action may be the best path, but do it lightly and cautiously.

Stay true to yourself

Being someone else won’t go a long way in inspiring people. As a matter of fact, you stand to loose your happiness if you end up trying to be who you are not. Discover the kind of person you are, you don’t have to be in everyone’s face to help others just because someone else you think is inspirational has that sort of personality.

Admit your flaws because most people are going through some situations and it will go a long way if they can see that someone else has been through a similar experience. Being authentic is really of importance, however, some people still fake authenticity. It only feels natural to show that you are human from time to time but that doesn’t mean that you should loose every form of privacy you might want to keep.

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*This is a collaborative post.