Quote-A-Day: Day 303

The joy we get from helping others is always more powerful than the joy we get from helping ourselves.  #QuoteADay #Day303 #edchat #edu

Ever notice how good it feels when you help somebody accomplish a goal?

Maybe it’s a small thing.  Maybe it’s large.

Regardless, there is a tremendous sense of satisfaction and joy that we feel when we help others accomplish a task they’ve been working on.

What’s so interesting about this is that the sense of joy we feel is often greater in these circumstances than the feelings of enjoyment we take from completing our own tasks.

Why might that be?

Well, for one thing, there’s an emotional connection that gets built when we help others that doesn’t exist when we do things for our own benefit.

For another, a simple “Thank You” can go a long way towards helping us develop as leaders and learners.  We don’t tend to say “Thanks” to ourselves, so that connection between gratitude and lifelong development is missing, unless we’re consciously reaching out to help other people.

Plus, it just feels good to do great things for others.

As we go throughout our day, we should map out how often we’re assisting others.  How do we feel while we do this?  After?  Before?

Just as importantly, how do those we help feel when we help them?  After?  Before?

Leading and learning is a mutualistic process.  We tend to gain more when we give more, and we tend to give more when we’ve gained more from others.

If we value the importance of keeping ourselves happy, then we have to make sure we work to please others as well as ourselves.