How to Succeed by Helping Others Succeed First
Kindness for the sake of kindness.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently.
We live in a culture encouraging us to put ourselves first at every turn.
“How to do better than 99% of other people”
“This is how you win the rat race”
You know what I’m talking about. It’s everywhere, especially on social media.
You’d be forgiven for thinking we’re in a weird, passive-aggressive version of The Hunger Games.
But honestly, I don’t believe in it. I don’t believe it’s the way.
The road to success isn’t paved with the crumpled bodies of those who failed ahead of us, whose corpses we’re to use as stepping stones to our ultimate goal.
(Bit dark, sorry)
The path to personal achievement is one we share with others in our sphere. We’re not meant to walk it alone.
A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say.
I think — I know, really — that the best way to succeed in life is by helping others. And not in a Godfather-style sense where you only do it with the expectation of receiving something in return.
“Someday, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me.” — Don Vito Corleone
I believe the best way to succeed in whatever it is you’re doing — writing, business-building, solopreneuring — is to put others before yourself, just because.
Give others the helping hand you wish someone had given you.
- Share their social media posts
- Read their articles
- Offer free help or guidance
- Leave encouraging feedback
- Subscribe to their newsletter
- Go the extra mile when it’s not strictly necessary to do so
Kindness and generosity are often-overlooked traits in today’s society. We’re taught that only the cold-hearted and ruthless survive.
But guess what? When you are kind and generous, people notice. They pay attention to what you’re saying. And crucially, they’ll remember you when the time comes to follow, subscribe, or check out your offer.
Again, that’s not why you do it. But it’s often a byproduct of choosing to be that way when you don’t have to.
Here’s a simple challenge for today: do something for a stranger in your online sphere without expecting anything in return, even if it’s just a little thing like sharing their content or leaving a response that might brighten their day.
Pay it forward. Put others before yourself
Succeed by helping others succeed first.
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