Why helpers are luckier
“You can get everything in life you want — if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” ~Zig Ziglar
The phrase “paying it forward” — helping others without expecting anything in return — is practically a cliche now. But there’s something to it. I’ve discovered over the years that whenever I do nice things for others (or help them out of a bind) my life magically improves, too.
Helping other people adds to our own happiness, opens new doors, and even improves our health and wellbeing. In other words, generosity may look altruistic but it’s actually self-serving — in a good way.
Life isn’t a competition. Can you imagine what the world would look like if we all looked out for each other? ~CL
Cindy La Ferle
Throughout my career, I've worked as a book production editor, travel magazine editor, features writer, and weekly newspaper columnist. My award-winning lifestyles features and essays have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies, including Newsweek, Reader's Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer's Digest, Victoria, Better Homes & Gardens, Bella Grace, and more. My weekly Sunday "Life Lines" column ran for 14 years in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI) and won a First Place (Local Columns) award from the Michigan Press Association. My essay collection, Writing Home, includes 93 previously published columns and essays focusing on parenthood and family life.
