It feels good to be helpful. It provides you with deep satisfaction, and it can make you feel a sense of purpose. Not to mention, it has the potential to increase your lifespan and reduce feelings of loneliness.
Unfortunately, being more helpful isn’t as easy as it seems. If you really want to be helpful to other people, make sure you check out the suggestions on this list.
Give Cash Mindfully
There’s no doubt that cash is one of the easiest, and most appreciated, ways to be helpful to another person. However, that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to be helpful.
Get the biggest helpful bang for your buck by being mindful about the cash you give. For example, surprising a relative in another country with some cash using a money transfer service can brighten their day.
If you want to send cash to help someone in need, but you worry how they are going to spend the money, consider giving them a gift card or a prepaid debit card. That way you can feel good knowing that you really helped instead of just giving that person money that made their situation worse.
Get Specific
One of the first things people do when they want to be helpful is to say, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” The intention of helping is there, but the other person is very unlikely to take advantage of the offer.
Some people may not know exactly how you can help, while others may feel uncomfortable asking for help. That’s why you should get specific if you really want to be helpful.
Ask if you can bring dinner by, if you can drive that person to an appointment, or anything else that you can think of that would require a simple yes or no answer.
Become a More Positive Person
Did you know our moods are contagious? If you’re in a bad mood, the people around you are likely to end up leaving the interaction in a bad mood. Fortunately, the opposite is also true.
This phenomenon is called emotional contagion by psychologists. If you want to be a more helpful person, you can use this to your advantage by being a more positive person.
Strive to be pleasant, upbeat, and positive when you interact with people, especially the ones who seem like they’re in a bad mood. If you persist in your efforts, you’ll likely have a positive impact on that other person’s day.
Stop Judging People
We all judge other people without even knowing that we’re doing it. This is especially the case if you take things personally.
If someone is rude or inconsiderate, it’s easy to make a snap judgement about that person’s character. The truth is, everyone is going through something, and how they’re behaving likely has nothing to do with you at all.
If you can realize that everyone is just trying to go through life like you are, and you can reduce or eliminate the snap judgements you make about people, you provide yourself with the ability to be helpful to everyone you meet.
Start a Conversation with a Stranger
It’s often the little things that we don’t realize we do that have the biggest impact on other people. This is definitely the case when it comes to strangers.
So many of us bury our faces in our devices or do everything we can to avoid eye contact when we’re out in public. That’s the opposite of being friendly and helpful!
Instead, you should start a conversation with a stranger. You never know what kind of impact it will have on that person! It has many benefits for you and them that include:
- Fresh perspectives
- Good advice
- Unexpected ideas
- Random acts of kindness
Ask for Feedback
Many of us shy away from feedback, but it doesn’t always have to be about what you’re doing wrong! Instead, it can be about what you’re doing right.
Don’t be afraid to ask your friends, family, and coworkers to provide you with a little positive feedback. They can tell you what helpful things you have done that have made their life better. They may also be able to provide you with suggestions on how you can be more helpful.
It isn’t just the recipient who will get something out of your helpfulness—you will too! With these tips, you can become a more positive, nice, and helpful person which will greatly improve all of the lives you touch, including your own.