Giving Help and Support to Yourself and Others

Everyone will appreciate help when they find themselves stuck in a difficult situation. Even you might have found yourself in need of assistance, support and advice at some point of your life.

There are people who are grieving the loss of loved ones and need understanding and kind words. There are those who are deep in debts and require suggestions to assist them in reducing or eliminating their financial burdens. In fact, if you ask or look around, almost everyone seems to have an issue and is in need of a backing to solve their problems, relief their burdens, and guide them to make decisions.

How do you go about offering your hand to those in need when your knowledge and resources are limited? How do you improve yourself so that you can become more skillful and are able to solve your problems and offer your service to others?

"Anticipate charity by preventing poverty; assist the reduced fellow man, either by a considerable gift or a sum of money or by teaching him a trade or by putting him in the way of business so that he may earn an honest livelihood and not be forced to the dreadful alternative of holding out his hand for charity. This is the highest step and summit of charity's golden ladder." -Maimonides

Ways to Help People

Offer your time, money or service.

If you have money to spare, go ahead and contribute to people in dire need of financial aid. But remember that you can feed a man a fish or you can teach him how to fish. Choose which action is more appropriate.

If you can't afford to offer monetary support, offer your time. Volunteer to do something. Giving your time by listening is one of the best things you can do. Inspire and motivate those who are feeling down and out.

Show them how.

When people face a problem and cannot solve them, they either don't know how to do it or are in a confused state and they can't make a decision. Guide them and show them how to do it. Make the steps easy to follow.

Refer them to others.

When you can't assist because you don't know how to do it or are short of time or other resources, refer them to others who can.

Pray for them.

Pray for those who are sick, lost or mourning and wish them well. Pray for those near or far. And pray for your friends and also strangers.

Help yourself

Be the best you can so that you can do good to others. Love yourself so that you can love others and develop empathy.

Ways to Help Yourself

Read and learn.

Read books, autobiographies and writings by people who have solved similar problems that you are facing. They have done something different. Study what these people do and take action with the knowledge that you have gathered.

Find a coach or a role model.

A coach will guide and teach you. If you admire someone and his capabilities, emulate him. Find out how he produces results and do what he does.

Upgrade your skills.

If you are good at something, hone it until you become skillful. If you lack a certain skill, learn and acquire it. Being skillful makes you more marketable in the job market and provide many other opportunities.

Learn from other people.

Ask for suggestions, opinions, advice and feedbacks. Think about them and make your own decisions.

By observing.

Take notes on how people do things. Observe yourself too. Look at what works and what doesn't and how to do something better or faster.

Look inside you and ask.

Analyze, evaluate and reflect. A great philosopher wrote, "Ask all from yourself. The answers are within." You can increase you thinking ability to create solutions by asking yourself the right questions, using the right words and allowing your subconscious to reveal to you the answers. Pay attention and listen.

Ask from the Higher Power.

Some people blame God for their predicaments. Some people ask why the creator does not intervene and solve their problems. Regardless of your religious faith, it's wise to remind yourself that God help those who help themselves.