You Can’t Help Others When You Can’t Help Yourself

We never know how what we do today will impact the future. That sounds a little science fiction-ish and yet it is true. We pour ourselves into something and the ripples start to appear. Our actions, our dedication, our excellence begin to change the future for the better. But this doesn’t happen unless we are willing to put in the work now.

This sounds like an amazing part of life and yet most of us don’t hear or see the impact of our actions for a very long time. When that ripple comes back to us we see how the simple things we did way back when have come full circle to impact our lives and our families of today.

This means we have to have something in our cup to pour into others. We have to have enough of ourselves to give away and not leave our own cup empty. This requires a constant filling, pouring out and refilling of our own resources in order to give of ourselves to form those initial ripples. Things like our mental and physical health, our finances, our homes and our talents all need to be in healthy, working order. Too much of one and not enough of another can tilt the scales and prevent us from being strong enough to empty, refill, and keep giving from ourselves.

As you face the things you must do today – work, play, clean, sleep, eat, exercise, walk, run and laugh – think about the ripples you are starting and allow yourself to imagine the people who will be blessed by your excellence. Hopefully that is enough to remind you to keep things in a strong working order and not let yourself neglect you as you begin or end your day. You can’t help others when you can’t help yourself.