Help to get Helped

Do you remember how you felt when someone out of the blue helped you without asking for anything in return?

Let me share one of own experiences when I was on a job hunt in my final year of post graduation. There was a senior of mine who graduated and we were not connected.

Now as far as my memory serves, I was good with him but don’t remember him helping me in any manner. He helped me connect with 3–4 companies, without me even asking for help. He reached out to me and was constantly helping me during the process of applying & interviewing. Did I land with a job he helped me apply with? Yes, I did (ended up not joining because of some other reason)

The point I want to highlight here is it was very pleasing to be helped by someone in a tough process, I was shooting 5–10 mails on some days just to get an opportunity. I am grateful to him.

Now, I don’t know why he helped me but I know that it taught me a big lesson in life, “help someone for no reason and without expecting anything in return”

In case you’re looking for reasons then here you go — adds to your good karma & I am a big believer of Karma, you make someone’s day and in some cases even someone’s life, you give out positive energy in the process which at some point is definitely going to come back to you. For some of us who are selfish the person you helped might return the favor someday, need I tell you how good is it to owe someone a favor?

One major thing I realized was helping others gave me this sense of joy and it helped me become a human being. It had a multiplier effect in me, I had to learn more to keep on helping people.

What it cost me? It cost me improvement in self-development, self-confidence and on a side note made some friends. This is classic case of the quote by Charlie Munger “take one simple idea and take it seriously”

Now how it helps you in investing in markets, you help novice investors by sharing whatever you know about a co or a sector or about investing as a field. That someone saves money by listening to your advice & it is most likely that he would do the same. You start sharing ideas and you never know one of the big ideas might come from him.

You share your learning and knowledge with everyone willing to listen in the field, you connect with people with people from varied experiences, you build a circle a loop which is based on mutual sharing of ideas. Before you even realise you have people who know more than you or have more experience than you sharing ideas.

One thing I would like to share is this might happen eventually but make sure you don’t expect everyone you help do the same, this will prevent you from feeling negative about the under delivery by anyone. Keep sharing, you will eventually have people who’ll do the same.