Aspire to inspire before we expire
In a world marred by fear and anger, the ability to give someone a spark of hope has become woefully rare. More effort than ever is needed to help change people’s lives for the better, and people’s gratitude has become far greater for it. Here are 8 simple ways to open someone’s life up to a ray of light. You may already be doing it without realizing.
Listen
When we have a problem that we want to share, we’re often faced with an onslaught of “material” solutions. You know what I mean? Someone tries to tell you what to do when all you want is to vent. The solutions are oftentimes not practical or even doable. You get frustrated and end up wishing you hadn’t talked to anyone.
We need more active listeners capable of empathy, because everyone you know has a battle to fight. Usually, we have no idea of what their battle is like. The next time someone shares a concern, make a promise to yourself to be as kind and understanding as you can.
Empower
We’ve all had a friend or loved one ask us for a loan. This is something most people have mixed feelings about. On one hand, we’re hesitant to give them one for whatever reason. Maybe we don’t have enough money ourselves, or we’re afraid they won’t be able to pay us back. On the other, we start to feel bad about ourselves. We struggle with the dilemma and ultimately, we do the person and ourselves more harm than good.
It’s critical to be able to empower. Give someone something to do instead of a loan. Identify their fortes and individual assets available and work to strengthen them. Only then can you ensure a sustainable and lasting impact. Assets include skills, talent, know-how, time, or resources. You have real impact when you give the person faith in their abilities.
Do Your Best
We often offer to do something for someone just because we feel we should. We don’t really want to help. If you don’t want to give with your whole heart, then don’t give at all. A half-hearted will to touch someone’s life for the better won’t have the best outcome. You might even suffer for it. Try your best to help: you’ll make someone feel better and achieve your own goals at the same time.
Be Humble
They say cleanliness is next to godliness, but so is humility. Our egos merit that we feel good about ourselves; we wouldn’t get far if we didn’t. Sometimes, though, we feel good at the expense of others. We feel better about our lives because we see someone in a worse position. Then, it’s all too tempting to gloat and / or blame someone for their misfortunes.
Instead, take the high road and treat everyone with kindness and humility. You would be surprised at how easy it can be to find yourself in their shoes. Our thoughts of others – good or bad – impact our own lives. Albeit an easy trap to fall in, a judgmental attitude will come back to haunt you when you find yourself on the receiving end of it.
Smile
As promised, here’s the simplest way of all to touch someone’s life. Smiles are contagious. I’m not talking about a big, fake, ear-to-ear grin, especially not in a somber moment, but a gentle, sweet, and uplifting smile. You put your best smile forward with your eyes. Smile at the first person you see after you wake up and the last person you see before you turn in. This will leave a sparkle of hope with everybody who comes into contact with you.
Give
Give others tangible or intangible things. This is a touching act that relieves our own suffering. You have more to give than you think. Start with purely material things like a pair of shoes you never wore or clothes that don’t fit anymore. This will touch someone else’s life in a small, but memorable way.
Give people kindness, attention, and love. Forget the pain of the past and pass only the good on. The saying is “an eye for an eye”, but remember revenge rarely goes the way we planned. Sometimes, it begets even greater pain and suffering.
Be Happy
By touching other people’s lives, we improve and enrich our own. It’s very simple: if we are happy, those around us are happy, and vice versa. It comes with a sense of inner peace. Like smiling, happiness is contagious. Be positive and surround yourself with positive people and things.
A small, caring act can touch a life, but don’t expect to get something in return. There is a higher power that governs everyone’s existence. Our good deeds are rewarded. Maybe not at once or even soon, but ultimately, the payoff will be astounding.
Be Yourself
What is a “self”? It is a fixed construct we find and are loyal to, a set of rules connecting thought and behavior. We can never be something other than this fixed construct that we unearthed in a state of introspection. Our self is the light of our life and it can touch other people’s lives. To make more light, we draw on that light, like the flame can be rekindled from the embers.
We aspire to inspire those around us, creating and sharing hope, because that’s who we are: our own dynamic creation that moves with us. There is never a greater good than knowing what it means to be yourself and being loyal to this person.
Touch the Future, Touch a Life
Those with a good heart want nothing more than to help change a life for the better. We know you want this too. It is said: touch a rock if you want to touch the past and touch a flower to touch the present. Touching a life is the way to touch the future.
