Helping other people..

[Jamie]

It's starting to dawn on me, more and more in fact; has for some time...

Helping other people, is probably one of the best ways there is, to (indirectly) help yourself. Esp. if it's someone with simular issues to yourself (and lets face it, human beings have a pretty limited scope of issues, we're all very simular).

It could be anywhere, on an internet forum, in a real life situation, anywhere.

It kinda gets you to look at issues and problems from a 3rd person perspective (is that right?), and you can then transfer the learning to yourself (in fact, that's probably automatic, you can't help but do it).

Like if a guy says, I'm in this situation and I'm having problems with x,y and z; and say I'm in the same situation, and whenever it's not me that I'm giving advice to; I always feel like I have pretty decent insights to offer (some may beg to differ though).

So anyway, just wanted to say that, does anyone else notice this dynamic?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Sure, whenever you give someone else advice, it's for you (even if you don't know it).

[AuspiciousEight]

Yes, I've noticed this dynamic, although I attribute it to a different reason.

Whenever you set out with the intention of helping someone else, you are aligning yourself on a different "spiritual frequency" or wavelength. It is a wavelength which is very empowering to the individual and gives you an amazing amount of strength and energy. It's almost like, when you align yourself with the universe, the entire universe jump in to help you out. Steve Pavlina, as well as many many other people, have noticed this effect. There is also a strange reflection effect, where what you give to others, you tend to receive yourself as well.

Just my two cents.

[Jim11]

I strongly agree.

When I am having problems and keep formulating biased and lazy responses to them I have asked myself "what sort of advice would I give SOMEONE ELSE", and it usually ends up being a smarter choice!

I think it's because the advice I give myself is filtered by various things such as laziness.

[viscapes]

It's always easier to give advise to someone else because you don't have the same emotional attachments to making the required decisions or taking the required action so you give advise from a purely intellectual perspective. I find this distinction is re-enforced by the fact that it's easier to give advise to strangers than to people you care about.

By recognising this though, you get to benefit from your advise yourself. Good on you - another tool in the Personal Development toolbox.