Below is a lesson from Time on how helping others leads to happiness, as well as our key learning.

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THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS IS HELPING OTHERS

by JENNY SANTI

There is a Chinese saying that goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” For centuries, the greatest thinkers have suggested the same thing: Happiness is found in helping others.

For it is in giving that we receive — Saint Francis of Assisi

The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity — Leo Tolstoy

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give — Winston Churchill

Making money is a happiness; making other people happy is a superhappiness — Nobel Peace Prize receipient Muhammad Yunus

Giving back is as good for you as it is for those you are helping, because giving gives you purpose. When you have a purpose-driven life, you’re a happier person — Goldie Hawn

And so we learn early: It is better to give than to receive. The venerable aphorism is drummed into our heads from our first slice of a shared birthday cake. But is there a deeper truth behind the truism?

Continue reading here.

Key Learnings:

• Scientific research provides compelling data to support the anecdotal evidence that giving is a powerful pathway to personal growth and lasting happiness. 
• Through fMRI technology, we now know that giving activates the same parts of the brain that are stimulated by food and sex.
• Experiments show evidence that altruism is hardwired in the brain—and it’s pleasurable. 
• Giving can also make us feel depleted and taken advantage of.
• Tips to help you give not until it hurts, but until it feels great:
  • Find your passion: Our passion should be the foundation for our giving. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.
  • Give your time: The gift of time is often more valuable to the receiver and more satisfying for the giver than the gift of money.
  • Give to organizations with transparent aims and results: Giving to a cause that specifies what they’re going to do with your money leads to more happiness. 
  • Find ways to integrate your interests and skills with the needs of others: It is important to be willing to give more than you receive, but still keeping your own interests in sight.
  • Be proactive, not reactive: Set aside time, think about our options, and find the best charity for our values.
  • Don’t be guilt-tripped into giving: If we are feeling guilt-tripped into giving, chances are we will not be very committed over time to the cause.
• The key is to find the approach that fits us. When we do, then the more we give, the more we stand to gain purpose, meaning and happiness.

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