The Extreme Sincerity Behind My Love of Helping Others Win
"At first you were so friendly I thought you were like a missionary trying to convert me or something, but then I realized you just REALLY want to help and show up for people. It's not something I am used to seeing back home and I still don't quite get it."
That was a comment my new friend Peter told me over dinner on the final night of WPPI; a massive photography conference and trade show focused on portrait and wedding photographers.
On top of making wonderful connections with other brilliant creators and regularly being floored by the work of damned near every person I got into conversation with, I also had many wonderful instances of breaking off to a private corner, table in a coffee shop, or elsewhere where I was able to have even deeper and more meaningful talks with industry professionals I admire greatly.
There were many topics of discussion in these private chats, but there were several common themes that kept coming up in conversation. One topic that has stuck in my mind was purpose and drive, a topic I feel I was able to gain some seriously meaningful perspective on this past week. When I started to look at the motivations behind the things that I do to get to the heart of what I felt was my "purpose", one thing really struck me:
I AM HERE ON THIS PLANET TO HELP OTHERS SUCCEED!
For some, I do this by providing services as a professional photographer. I absolutely love providing my clients with images and video work that gives them real world returns on their investment. I love that I am able to create something of value from my mind and creativity.
Providing professional headshots, commercial photography, videography, and event coverage helps professionals and businesses to spread the word about the awesome things they are doing in the world and as such, I am helping to facilitate the missions of the organizations I work for. I am helping professionals create better impressions with the people they want to serve and connect with and as such I am improving the quality of life for countless individuals.
For others, my help comes in the form of mentorship and education. I am a "rising tide lifts all boats" kind of a person. In my eyes, other professionals in my industry are not my competition because none of them offer the exact same things I offer. I am not here to beat anyone else because in life, your own wins can only ever feel so sweet, but seeing the joy of others wins and knowing you helped them to get there is so much more rewarding. As a result, I am always thrilled to help provide advice, guidance, or my knowledge to the people that seek it.
And for others still, it can be from acts of kindness that help break us from our standard patterns of robotic like repetitive human interaction.
Photo Credit to my wonderful wife Krysta
"But, are you for real?"
Once in a while I will notice that someone is clearly thinking "What kind of angle is this guy trying to take? What does he REALLY want from me?" which is a kind of skepticism I can really understand and appreciate.
And don't get me wrong, I am a businessman and a person with bills to pay and a family to take care of. There is ABSOLUTELY a financial incentive that has an impact on what I do. But even then, I tend to feel that that aspect comes in exchange for me being able to provide even greater value to the people I help than what they give me. I know in my heart if I give my all to helping others that that good will comes back around to me eventually. I know it seems weird to some, and others will remain skeptical, but the friendly, energetic, helper is who I am through and through.
Truly at its core, the reason I sincerely LOVE to help others win is because it is rewarding for me too! If I have taken a part in 1000 people reaching the success they have been pursuing, that is 1000 gratifying moments and reasons for me to celebrate with them. If I focused entirely on winning by myself, I only get to celebrate 1 win. Seeing the shock of appreciation in someone when I have gone above and beyond to help them is an incredibly gratifying feeling; performing even tiny acts of empathy can entirely turn someone's day or life around.
So as I said, my purpose and drive in life is to help others succeed. This means that in my professional life I spend LOTS of time thinking about things I can offer to clients that they need (whether they know it or not) as well as how I can make their experience working with me more pleasant while helping to maximize on the value of the things I create for them.
As an educator and mentor I try my best to be an open book who does not think of any information as "secret" or purely for myself to know. I do what I can to help people see around the barriers that are their limiting beliefs, understand their craft, and guide the entrepreneurial minded towards a path of true success.
In my private and day to day life I am constantly looking out for little opportunities to be there for a person, even if it is just a brief chat or tiny gesture of sincerity and kindness.
By giving my all to those around me and doing the best I can to serve them, I feel as though I am doing my part to make the world a better place and the lives of those I meet better (even if it is just the tiniest amount) which helps me to navigate my own path with more optimism and joy.
If you have made it this far into my long winded rant, then, WOW! I can genuinely say I am surprised and overjoyed! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts about this article or anything else you have to share. I would be thrilled to hear about other things I can do to be of greater help to the people I serve in general and would love to hear about any problems you are having that I might be able to provide you assistance with! Talk to ya soon!