Getting started

I am 18 years old and dream of being able to help people. The problem is I am the least motivated person I know. I don’t understand what holds me back. I have big intentions but never know where to start. What holds me back, and how can I start living my dream to help others.

Having the dream to help others it a great goal. But if you can’t help yourself, you will find it hard to be of any use to others. A myriad of issues can hold us back. Here are a few:

• Fear of failure. Lack of motivation can stem from the belief that you will fail, so why bother starting anything?

• Guilt. Some people have guilt about things they have done in their life or about things they haven’t yet achieved. So many people spend time on “what if” that they don’t ever start the “I can.” Guilt is a time waster.

• Believing we don’t have the resources. When we want to help others, we think we need a wealth of resources to make a difference. This stops us from even offering to help.

• Time. Everyone thinks they don’t have enough time to achieve their goals. Yet we all find time to do the things we really want to do.

These four areas affect our motivation to achieve our goals.

They give us an excuse not to try and they foster depression, which is a motivation-killer in itself.

They tell us that we don’t have the ability to achieve. The most powerful way to overcome the “woe is me” syndrome is to start giving to others. There are always people worse off than us. Once we overcome these issues, we can start living to our full potential.

How you can start helping others is the easy part. Begin with small goals, so it doesn’t seem overwhelming. Ask family and friends for ideas. They may have a project you can help with.

Here are some ideas:

• A woman at church last week was collecting socks for women’s prison ministry.

• Collecting used stamps can help women in developing countries.

• Help an elderly person with their shopping.

• Give up chocolate and use the money you save to sponsor a child overseas.

• Read to someone who is blind.

Some people seem to be always having “dramas” and find it hard to get their life together. The best way to get life into perspective is by helping others. When you start doing small things to improve someone else’s life, you will find your life starts to run more smoothly.

You will be surprised at the powerful impact helping others has on your life and how it will start to motivate you. It has such a powerful impact because our mission in life is to be of assistance to others and to love our neighbours as ourselves.