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What does it take to help someone and be selfless? Altruism is a key that opens a doorway to achieving a sense of purpose and pleasure in life.
With that said, what does it take to practice altruism on a daily? Because it is seemingly an admirable trait yet a challenging one to possess and hold.
Altruism is a life-changing act of kindness that involves the selfless concern and regard for other people’s welfare. It is doing things for others with a genuine desire to simply help and not out of feelings of obligation in duty and such.
Moreover, being altruistic also comes down to providing a helping hand without expecting a reward. Even in the face of personal risks and scarcity, an individual who practices altruism still provides help and shares resources that aid in some way. Thus, the root of altruistic behavior is the genuine and unconditional concern for someone else’s well-being.
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Achieving a Sense of Purpose Starts With Providing Purpose to Others
Often, the act of helping other people doesn’t come across our minds, and that’s not all the time it’s out of selfishness or something negative. Mainly, it can stem from simply being unaware or unbothered by what the others’ have experienced in life. It could be that we are just minding our own business and such. However, one thing we fail to also recognize, aside from acknowledging the hardships of others, is achieving a sense of purpose in life.
While altruism is an act motivated by the simple desire to help, it is also an act of choice. It is ultimately our choice to practice altruism and foster such positive behavior. What also comes with altruism is the immeasurable and fulfilling pleasure that touches our very core. Evidently, empathy plays a crucial role in this practice. As a matter of fact, the bedrock of altruistic behaviors seems to be empathy.
Motivated by positive moral rewards, a sense of satisfaction, happiness, and other external factors, it is indeed pleasurable to be hand in hand with altruism. Somewhat, it provides a sense of purpose and meaning in our lives that we fail to achieve from worldly desires.
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Ways to Cultivate and Nurture Altruism
A Stepping Stone
Small acts of kindness are a great starting point and can potentially make a significant impact on the lives of others.
Seizing the Day
Mindfulness is a key that unlocks opportunities to act altruistically. The way mindfulness brings clarity to thoughts can activate altruism.
Seeing Things From Another’s Perspective
To foster empathy, one must also consider enhancing their empathy. To practice empathy, we must put ourselves in others’ shoes and try to understand their emotions and perspectives. This way, we can be inspired to act altruistically.
Sharing a Collective Purpose
Volunteering, donating, and getting involved in a community that resonates with you in terms of giving and helping others amplifies the impact of creating a better and more compassionate world.
Kindness is Contagious
Setting an example of altruism for others to follow is a great way to create a ripple effect. This spreads acts of kindness and community service, inspiring more people to be selfless.
Let’s Venture into the World of Altruism
Imagine a world filled with kindness, compassion, and empathy. Helping others provides a sense of direction and brings purpose to our lives. We would embrace a sense of greatness and fulfillment, having to see the positive impact we have on others and how we have touched their lives. Undeniably, it makes everything worth it and meaningful as the giver and helper. The world and humanity would not be as vile and dire as it is.
Life for all of us would be a lot better when we begin to immerse ourselves in goodness.
Giving is Not Just for the Very Rich by Susan Aurelia Gitelson is a book that offers practical steps toward a more altruistic life. This easy-to-use guide is truly inspiring and a valuable resource for many who seek to embrace achieving a sense of purpose. Additionally, it provides a myriad of ideas and insights on how to reap the benefits of giving.
That said, we highly recommend and encourage you to read Giving is Not Just for the Very Rich to be inspired and enlightened with reasons to give and help. To purchase your own copy of the book, we direct you to click this link.
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