Tuesday; September 15

Have you ever felt inconvenienced by being asked to help? Even those of us who don’t mind helping can sometimes find ourselves a little put out because people seem to ask us to help at the least opportune times – usually when we have something we need to do or when we have something we really want to do. When this happens, human nature tends to generate a negative thought of “why now”? Why does this always seem to happen at the worst times for us? The next time we find ourselves in this spot wrestling with this question, let’s stop and ask ourselves if the person needing our help thought the timing of their crisis was convenient for them. Many people who need our help reach out to us when they do because that is when they feel the need – and oh, by the way, it probably isn’t too convenient for them, either. They don’t wait to ask for help when they know it is inconvenient for us, they just ask for help when they feel the need. The time isn’t the main issue, the hurt is!

When we learn to help people when they need it, we become better friends, mentors and leaders. By responding to a person’s need rather than consulting our watches or calendars, we put people before our agendas and when we do that, we can actually make a real difference in real time. After all, helping people isn’t about fulfilling our needs, it is about taking care of theirs.

Think About It!

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