The Best Gift to Give Others

A question that I often ask myself is, “How can I best help my children, spouse, family member, staff member, friend, etc., improve/change?” “How can I help change someone else?”

The answer comes back to me in a reverberating mandate, “Help yourself first…help yourself first…help yourself first.” Sounds a little selfish at first glance, but the best contribution I can make to someone else is my own personal development. If I become 10 times wiser, 10 times stronger, think of what that will do for my adventure as a father... as a grandfather... as a business colleague.

The best gift I can give to others, really, is my ongoing personal development. Getting better, getting stronger, becoming wiser. I think parents should pick this valuable philosophy up. If the parents are okay, the kids have an excellent chance of being okay. Working on my own personal development as a parent, that’s one of the best gifts I can give to my children.

If you have ever ridden in an airplane, then you might have noticed the oxygen compartment located above every seat. There are explicit instructions that say, “In case of an emergency, first secure your own oxygen mask and then if you have children with you secure their masks.” Take care of yourself first... then assist your children. If we use that same philosophy throughout our whole parental life, it would be so valuable.

Over 3 years ago my wife and I made a commitment to consistent, regular exercise. I lost 40 pounds the first year and as an additional benefit I felt much better too. It’s been interesting to see how our children have progressed as well in this area. One of them lost 25 pounds, another lost 80 pounds and a third has been more consistent in exercise over the past 12 months.

If I learn to create happiness for myself, my children now have an excellent chance to be happy. If I create a unique lifestyle for myself and my spouse, that will be a great example to serve my children.
Self-development enables me to serve, to be more valuable to those around me; for my child... my business... my colleague... my community... my church.

“The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become. That is why I wish to pay a fair price for every value. If I have to pay for it or earn it, that makes something of me. If I get it for free, that makes nothing of me.” Jim Rohn