Helping Others: Scaling Success With Altruism

(via nytimes.com - link below)

All of us know that helping others makes a person a better human being. We also keep hearing stories in which good always triumphs over evil. In fact, we are born in this world not only amid a cacophony of wise sayings passed on from generations of philosophers and thinkers, which is blasted from public platforms, but also mean and selfish talks that goes on in the confines of privacy. Thus most people remain confused, and are skeptical of helping others.

This is the reason that we need, from time to time, new-age gurus to interpret and reaffirm the wisdom of our ancestors. Adam Grant, 31, a professor at Wharton, has proved, with the help of extensive social-science research and experiments, that people who help others are inclined to be more successful and reach the top in the long run as compared to selfish and mean people.

I have always been a pro-social person and have believed in helping others. Because I have never owned, rather have denounced, money, I am always ready to help people in kind. I keep on doling out free advice to anyone and everyone. I think less about myself and more about others. At social gatherings, my friends count on me for my honest feedback regarding their weight, bad make-up, or ill-fitting clothes. At home, I am always ready to help my husband with household work. Though, most of the time, he sends me back to the computer saying, you will make it worse. Although I believe that he wants me to spend my time and energy helping the world at large through Facebook and blogs.

My neighbor, who is afraid of dogs, will testify to you how I had once helped her by throwing a rock at a dog that she was scared of, for which I readily faced the wrath of the dog owner. I am also a favorite aunt of my friend’s 4-yr-old son. Just yesterday, I helped the little one dismantle his dad's drone because he wanted to play with the parts instead of the whole.

At grocery stores, I always help old people carry their bags. Earlier, these ancient folks, not understanding my new-age wisdom, would scream and make scenes whenever I tried to take their bags, but these days, the store attendants come forward and inform them that I was trying to help. Unfortunately, people who know me are mostly reluctant to take my help. I think they are jealous of my success. Anyway, every time after helping others, I get that top-of-the-world feeling. I believe that because of my kind and generous nature, I have touched a lot of lives.

Though, I consider myself fairly successful in life, there are many people who have achieved far more success than me. For example, at my age, many businessmen and politicians have amassed billions of dollars by helping others.

Now that Professor Adam Grant has proven that giving and helping others takes a person to the top, I will certainly amp up my altruistic pursuits.

You can read a lot more on Adam Grant and his work here:
The New York Times: Is Giving the Secret to Getting Ahead?