Many people look for ways that they can contribute to the success of a cause, a group, or even society. Yes, there are plenty of examples of getting involved in ways that benefit others: volunteering, joining a support group, and fundraising are examples of options that people often choose from. But there’s one thing to keep in mind: taking care of yourself and continuously improving are two of the best things you can do for others as well as yourself. Let me explain.
There’s that famous exchange between Allen Iverson and reporters years ago—yes, the famous “Practice? We talking about practice, man,” one—where the end of the exchange goes, “How am I going to make my teammates better by practicing!?!?!?” It’s an interesting question that, of course, has an answer: by improving yourself, you make the team better and can make the people around you better both through practicing teamwork and by helping them improve. And that’s a big deal: your benefit to others offset if you are also a drag on others in some way, and you do, in fact, improve the performance of the group by improving yourself. In short: the better you are, the better we are.
Probably the most famous example of this is Bill Belichick’s famous mantra, “Do your job.” Now, because he was always curmudgeonly with the press, people took that as a curt command, “Do your job!” But that’s not how it was meant—he meant it as the more matter-of-fact statement, “Do your job—as everyone else is doing their jobs—it’s the most important thing you can do to contribute toward the team’s success.” His point is that you don’t have to be a superhero or single-handedly win the game; you just have to do your job for success to follow. He knows—as much as anyone does—that success comes from being the best version of yourself and working with others toward a common goal to succeed. The better you are at doing your part, the better off the group is.
And that’s the takeaway for today: it’s okay to improve yourself so that you are better at helping others. Self-help gurus talk about “letting your cup runneth over so you can fill others’ cups” as a metaphor for how you have more to give if you have more to start with. It’s how (and why) someone building a huge business can donate millions of dollars to charity. It’s how superstars help lead their teams to victory. It’s how salespeople help their team hit their annual goal. It’s not about doing something fancy at first: the first step is just being the best version of yourself that you can so that you can contribute to the best of your ability to the outcome.
People focus way too much on the selfish vs. selfless argument of behavior. These are not diametrically opposed ideas. You can help yourself enough to be able to be generous to others. You can often best contribute to a group by being excellent at what you do. It’s not always us vs. them or help yourself or help others. It can be help yourself and help others. It’s why trade is so powerful—you do what you do best, and others do what they do best and trade for each other’s output. You are both better off than if you tried to do both things by yourselves.
So, if you’re wondering how you can best have an impact, sometimes the best thing you can do is take care of yourself. Keep your life in order, rest, and keep yourself in good physical and mental health. It can do wonders not just for yourself but for others, too. When you lead by example and also are able to help others because of your excellence, you will make the world a better place through your actions.