Sterling Terrell

recovering economist

Desire To Help

Desire To Help

Funny I got to this quote on having a desire to help today.

This is because writer and blogger John Saddington wrote about this very thing this morning in his post: Becoming Useful.

He points to the idea of serving others as the best career tip he has ever received. And I think that is proabably right.

The crux of it is that the best way to become useful is to be useful to others.

You and I might be tired, and at our limit, but we can still be benevolent and kind, can’t we?

I hope so.

Pride can be broken. Toughness has its limits. But a desire to help? No harshness, no deprivation, no toil should interfere with our empathy toward others. Compassion is always an option. Camaraderie as well. That’s a power of the will that can never be taken away, only relinquished.

-Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is The Way

2 Goals Of The Thinking Man (Or, Woman)

2 Goals Of The Thinking Man (Or, Woman)

So here are two simple goals of the thinking man – or woman – like I said.

The point is not to expect to be a superhero about it all.

See, I posted before that auricular confession should be short and sweet.

The same goes for learning how to think.

Keep it simple:

  • Learn to be skeptical of your own motives.
  • And be generous and kind toward others rationale.

Don’t expect to move mountains, as they say.

James Altucher says we should use more question marks and less periods.

We shouldn’t expect moral heroism of ourselves. Such an expectation is fruitless and in the long run profoundly damaging. But we can expect to cultivate a more general disposition of skepticism about our own motives and generosity toward the motives of others. And—if the point isn’t already clear—this disposition is the royal road that carries us to the shining portal called Learning to Think.

-Alan Jacobs, How To Think

Sterling Terrell