Summary

The author overcame self-doubt and recognized that having the expertise to solve some problems is valuable, even if one doesn't have all the answers.

Abstract

The author shares a personal journey of overcoming the belief that they needed to have solutions to all problems before they could help others. Initially, they hesitated to start a blog on motivation and self-improvement due to their own unresolved issues and a perceived lack of qualifications. However, a pivotal quote about not needing the key to all of life's problems to help with some of them transformed their perspective. This realization led them to understand that they could make a difference by sharing their experiences and insights, even if their contributions were small. The author emphasizes that helping others is not an all-or-nothing endeavor and that everyone has unique experiences that can be beneficial to someone else. They encourage readers to take action on their aspirations without waiting for perfection, suggesting that even simple acts like commenting on a blog post can have a positive impact.

Opinions

The author initially doubted their ability to help others due to personal insecurities and a belief in needing to solve all problems.
They felt unqualified to write about self-improvement and motivation because they hadn't resolved their own issues.
A quote by an unknown source shifted their mindset, allowing them to see that partial expertise is still valuable.
The author believes that one does not need to be a renowned expert or prodigy to make a meaningful contribution.
They advocate for starting small and not taking oneself too seriously in the pursuit of helping others.
The author values continuous improvement, curiosity, and a genuine desire to make a difference as qualities that enable one to help people.

Just Because You Don’t Have the Key to All Life’s Problems

Doesn’t mean that you can’t have the key to some of them.

This is what I needed to hear.

For the longest time, I didn’t think that I had what it took to be able to help people.

“Who am I to give people advice? I have issues of my own that I haven’t figured out yet. Why should anyone listen to me?”

These are the things I used to say to myself when I would think about starting a blog. I always wanted to try it, but every time I would talk myself out of it. I wanted to write about motivation and self-improvement, but I didn’t feel qualified.

I don’t know why I held myself to such unreasonably high standards. I don’t know what I thought it mattered so much or why I took it so seriously. But I did. And since I didn’t have any good answers to my own questions, at some point I lost faith in myself. I stopped believing that I could help. I listened to the inner critic because I couldn’t help but agree.

Who was I to try to help people?

What I needed to hear

Then one day, I came across a quote.

“Just because you don’t have the key to all of life’s problems doesn’t mean that you can’t have the key to some of them.”

-Unknown

I have no idea who said it or where it’s from, but this idea changed my life.

I had an epiphany and something clicked. My whole perspective started to change.

I finally started to understand. I was acting as if I needed to have all of the answers to be able to answer any single question. That if I couldn’t help everyone that I couldn’t help anyone.

But that’s wrong. That’s not how it works and I understand that now.

It may sound strange, but before this epiphany, I just didn’t quite understand the problem. I didn’t quite know what to do. And I wasn’t able to connect the dots. But in hindsight, it’s clear.

Photo by Suraphat Nuea-on on **Pexels.com**

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” -Buddha

Help is help

I realized that I could help. I’ll start small, but I have experiences to draw from and a desire to help.

And there are many different ways to help. Not everything is life or death. I was taking things too seriously. I thought that if I couldn’t help someone completely turn their life around, then I just wasn’t good enough.

Sure, I’m no world-renowned expert in my field and certainly too old to be any sort of prodigy at this point, but that’s okay.

I do have a lot of things working in my favor. I’m committed to improvement. I’ve dealt with and managed my way through my fair share of issues. I’ve been working on and researching self-development for years. I have a genuine desire to help people and to do my part in making the world a better place. I’m curious and interested in many different fields and disciplines.

I’m not going to pretend that I have all the answers. Not even close. None of us do. But I know that I can help people. I know others are going through similar issues or dealing with similar struggles. My hope is that by sharing my stories and perspective, I can provide them with some insights.

I always wanted to help people and writing has been a gateway. I write about things that I think could help people. But I also read a lot of other people’s blogs. I like their posts. Sometimes I leave comments. I know it’s not much, but I gotta start somewhere.

Am I changing the world by liking posts or leaving comments? Seems unlikely. But I use the same logic as my writing. Most of them probably go unnoticed. But every once in a while, hopefully, one of my comments brightens someone’s day or gives them the motivation to keep going.

I may not have the answer to all of life’s problems, but I won’t let that stop me from doing what I can to help people.

Is there something that you’ve been waiting to try? Maybe you’re not sure if you’re qualified or good enough? You’ll never know if you never try!

Leave a comment down below, I’d love to hear from you!

Until next time,

Evan

Originally published at https://mindpowergrow.com on June 19, 2020.