What We Do for Others

Once upon a time, when someone wished to limit interaction with others, there was a wide and vast frontier which they could disappear into. When our nation was younger, those seeking the solitary life could live and hunt and fish and rarely see others. As our nation has grown, we find it harder and harder to find such an alternative viable.

Today it is hard to do anything without having some effect on someone else. This is true whether it was talking to your neighbors, working at a job, or blogging on the Internet. Today, it is difficult to even get to anything left of that frontier without having to stop for either gas or electricity.

The question then is what do I do for others? I try to keep to the rule of doing for others as I would like someone to do for me. There is a lot of good in this, and yet sometimes there is some wrong and it also. Why? Because others aren’t me. And sometimes, what is right for me would be entirely wrong for someone else.

To better interact with all those around us, we should really get to know them. We take time to learn how to use a TV set so we can get the TV to give us the channels we want. If we get a new vehicle, take a drive to understand how it handles. We bond with our pets and talk to our plants (sometimes.)  Why should we do less for the people in our lives?

We don’t start out meaning to be rude or ignorant of others. Quite often this happens when we are trying to do bigger things, and between stress and over-focus on a few wrong things, we forget to be kind to those around us. We are so focused on a goal that we ignore everyone else’s desires and concerns.

As humans, we are not really individuals. We are an amalgam of those around us and all the actions within our lives which affect us. The secret is, the better we treat others, the better we treat ourselves. Want to live long, be happy, feel satisfied? Treat yourself (and those around you) well.

Thank you for reading this today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof