I have a friend who is a big model. She’s tall, gorgeous, and hands down one of the most generous people that I know. It’s incredible to watch how she cares for people – buying strangers lunch who have had a bad day, or going out of her way to ensure that everyone from the host to the busboy at a restaurant feels special. What’s even more incredible is seeing how that generosity comes back to her tenfold. This woman gets whatever she wants – and not because she’s 6″ tall with a killer smile, but because of the way that she treats people. It draws people to her and makes them WANT to do things for her. She doesn’t do anything with the expectation of reciprocity, but it’s been a true lesson to me on how helping others can turn into amazing relationships, clients and leads.
It seems that the mistake many of us make is in thinking that there is a finite amount of success to be had in the world, and so we become so preoccupied with attaining our own success that we don’t put the time and care into fostering the success of others. We need to realize that there is enough money, enough customers, enough success to go around. Just because someone else gains success does not mean that you will lose it. Accepting this fact will help open you up to the magnitude of benefits that come with helping others rise.
So how exactly can you help others succeed?
1. Share your knowledge and expertise: Everyone is an expert in something, and there are definitely people out there who can benefit from your experience and knowledge. Being open to giving your time and sharing with others to help them get ahead is a pretty simple task. Plus, through mentoring you yourself will gain new knowledge, skills and improve your problem-solving capabilities.
2. Share your resources: I’ve had so many people help me out with my new modeling agency – mostly by sharing their network with me and connecting me with others in the fashion industry. It doesn’t serve them… yet. I definitely will remember all of the favors and repay them when I’m able. It may have taken just a moment of their time, but it has helped me to grow my business immensely.
3. Make others aware of an opportunity: How many opportunities come your way that aren’t quite right for you, but could be great for someone else? Instead of hitting the delete button, passing these chances on to those who might be better suited is a small gesture that could be a total game changer for someone else.
4. Be a cheerleader: The same friend who I previously mentioned is also my biggest cheerleader. She tells everyone about the blog whenever she gets the opportunity, and it has been huge for me in building a network of other models. If one of your friends or colleagues has a business, a blog, a product — anything that they are passionate about, if you have a chance to sell it to others, don’t hesitate. Fellow blogger J Money over at Budgets Are Sexy has been another big cheerleader for me – helping me to promote my site when he already has a huge PF platform and following.
5. Don’t tear others down: On the other hand, you can be a huge help to others by not taking the opportunity to bad mouth when you have the chance. Not participating in tearing those down who you may be competing with, and instead wishing them the best is a practice in good vibes that will always come back to you. Plus, why waste your energy on hoping someone fails when you could be using it to build up your own success?
By helping others when you get the chance, you will build deeper and broader connections that may benefit your professional life, but will most certainly benefit your life as a whole. From a motivation perspective, helping others enriches the meaning and purpose of our own lives, showing us that our contributions matter and energizing us to work harder, longer, and smarter. The biggest leaders of the world have gotten help on the way up and continue to pay it forward – now it’s your turn.
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