Being selfless. The ability to do something without the expectation of getting anything in return. What a wonderful thing! Imagine giving because you truly want to and with no strings attached.
As we go about our day, it’s easy to become consumed by our own reality walking around with blinders on completely unaware of what’s going on around us. It’s a little frightening to take stock of how modern conveniences have already put us out of touch with other real living, breathing, human beings. ATM’s, self checkouts, vending machines, and computers (email, instant messaging etc…). There is a tendency to become a little self absorbed and selfish. Don’t get me wrong I welcome change and advancement I just think we’re losing touch with each other.
I went on a quest to reclaim a bit of the selflessness that I know is in all of us and that we are all capable of. Here are a few ideas of selfless acts that you can try. I have to admit that they are not entirely selfless. You do actually get something out of this…a great feeling that you’ve actually helped someone or contributed to their life in some meaningful way.
- Cook a meal. I do this occasionally for my family (mom, dad and sisters) if they are coming home from holidays or a weekend away. I do it so they don’t have to. Trick is to not expect a dinner waiting for you when you return from holidays and to truly be ok with it.
- Pay it forward. Occasionally I will pay for the car behind me in line at the drive thru. Obviously I’m not going to break the bank, but a cup of coffee or two isn’t going to break me and it just might make their day.
- Donate. In the spirit of uncluttering and organizing donate items that are still in good shape and that could be useful to someone else. We routinely fill boxes with items from around the house that we no longer need and drop them at the nearest thrift store or Salvation Army Depot. It makes it easier to get rid of items if you know they will go to another good home and not just in a landfill somewhere.
- Volunteer. This is a biggie. Volunteer your time, services or expertise to an organization that really needs your help. My husband is a computer programmer and volunteers his time and expertise to a non-profit organization by creating and maintaining their website. I really enjoy photography and well…practice makes perfect so I volunteered at a non-profit organization to take pictures at their various events. This freed up the organizers to focus on the event and they knew that everything was still be captured.
- Do something nice. It’s usually the little things that have the biggest impact. This may sound a bit odd but each and every morning in the winter I start the car for my husband. We live on the Canadian Prairies and it’s COLD! So getting into a warm car when it’s –45C is a lovely thing!
- Be courteous. Our society seems to be forgetting a bit of common courtesy or consideration for others. A real simple act of courtesy is to just hold the door for someone. Whether they are struggling with shopping bags, lugging strollers and children or just exiting the store behind you, simply hold the door and let them through. It doesn’t hurt to smile as you do!
- Listen. Lending an ear to someone who just needs to talk is one of the best things you can do. You don’t always have to try and solve the problem (if there is one), just listen. Sometimes just talking about things without being judged can make a world of difference to someone’s day.
I hope this doesn’t come across as me bragging about how wonderful I am that is not my intent. I lose sight of these things now and again as I get caught up in the day to day but it’s a good reminder that it’s the little, simple and inexpensive things that sometimes leave the biggest impact.
Let me know what you think. Do you try to act selflessly on a regular basis? What selfless acts have you done to help a fellow human?
Photo courtesy of: mrpattersonsir
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Comments
You’re right that we’re self absorbed. We worry about our petty daily problems while millions around the world worry about where they’ll find their next meal. We sit on our couches watching TV while some are huddled in a basement praying that a bomb doesn’t land on them. It’s bizarre really.
So I’d place more emphasis on the volunteering aspect. It’s the least we can do.
I saw a study once that found that people who do some sort of volunteer work actually live longer than those who don’t – so it’s actually good for your health too!
Julian’s last blog post..This Post Will NOT Change Your Life
Thanks for your comment Julian. There are very few things that actually give you a real connection with people. We’ve donated money to charities and find that, while it’s important, it’s so impersonal. We’ve found it to be more fulfilling to donate our time (volunteering) since there’s that connection with the people you’re actually helping.
I know not selfless then right? I don’t know if there are any truly selfless acts as most things you do for another person, at the very least, should make you feel good.
I recently touched on my blog about how a blogger shoudl focus on providing value to his or her readers instead of focusing on making money, and the response was huge. (For me, at least)
I think that a lot of people WANT to be selfless, they just don’t have the courage to do it before others. I think that leading by example is key here. My wife worked at Starbucks, and witnessed firsthand the pay it forward experience, as a lady paid for the next customer, and this continued for a few hours.
Trey – Swollen Thumb Entertainment’s last blog post..Top 10 Problems With The Movie Industry
Trey that’s a great point to try and hit home with people! When we sat down to figure out what we wanted Serene Journey to be, we thought win-win. We benefit personally by clarifying our thoughts, hashing out what’s important, refocusing and learning new things; and we genuinely want our readers to take away something meaningful from our articles as well.
We’re still fairly new at this but we’re really focused on adding value and keeping things simple. As it turns out we’re benefiting immensely from this experience already.
Thanks a lot for your comment and I just LOVE that pay it forward example. It’s great to see that a little selfless act can affect so many people for HOURS. I’m sure everyone involved got something HUGE out of it!
Thanks for having this website.
I stumbled across your website and I have to say it was great see your post.
People today worry about them self and put others last.
There’s nothing better than to see the smile of person you just helped “just because” or hear a sincere thank you.
I do something every year to boost Christmas Spirit Http://www.bikerclaus.com
It makes people smile and gives me a warm feeling as well.
Thank you for being a giving person.
Kent
@ Kent – What a lovely comment thank you! I couldn’t agree with you more about the smile of someone you’ve helped selflessly. I’ve checked out your site bikerclaus and I think it’s GREAT! The pictures are fabulous and you guys are doing a lot of good by the looks of it.
Thank you for such a lovely comment!
This was my favorite line: “it’s the little, simple and inexpensive things that sometimes leave the biggest impact.”
Thanks for the good read, Sherri!
Nate St. Pierre´s last blog ..Real People, Not Social Media
Thanks Nate I’m glad you liked it! I love what you’re doing over at it starts with us. Fabulous!
I have always done all the things listed above and had no idea I was being selfless. I was just being me. Thanks for making me aware of a title (not that I need it, in fact this will probably be the last time I mention it about myself because I am so anti-”titles” However, it is always goo on the path to enlightenment to know you have reached pinnacle goals. My goal, to be like Jesus. I am not a Christian but the writings of this man are amazing and I believe he was truly a beacon of light and the way we should try to be. While he disappeared from age 12-30 I believe his travels took him through several countries such as India and possibly Tibet area and was exposed to several religions. This is what made him so accommodating to so many different types of people. To understand the words he spoke you must study other religions. Anyway, I’m on a tangent…So sorry. Thanks for posting your article. Our society is narcissistic, selfish, and needed some advice.