The Boomerang Principle: When we help others, we help ourselves

No man becomes rich unless he enriches others. ~ Andrew Carnegie

The Question I Must Ask Myself: Do I experience a return when I help others?


WHAT GOES AROUND

Where do you stand on the subject of giving to others? There are 3 kinds of people when it comes to this subject:
1. Takers Receive & Never Give
i. Worry only about what they can get, & they're never satisfied
2. Traders Receive & Then Give
i. Focus on keeping score.
ii. View relationships as an exchange.
iii. They give because they think they owe something to someone who has helped them, & they desire to make things "even".
3. Investors Give & Then Receive
i. Focus on others.
ii. They give first & receive if something is offered in return.
iii. Believe success comes from being helpful, caring, & constructive.
iv. Desire to make everything & everyone they touch better & understand the best way to accomplish that is to give of themselves

What INVESTORS Have In Common

§ Understand that People are of Great Value
§ Embrace the Boomerang Principle
§ Practice the Principle of Sowing & Reaping
□ When you give to another person you will receive something in return that affects your valuables, your values, or your virtues
¨ VALUABLES: things that provide financial worth
¨ VALUES: things that bring fulfillment
¨ VIRTUES: things that develop character
§ Believe that helping others is the divine work of people
□ Don't be a cynic…[and] bewail & bemoan. Omit the negative propositions…Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good…Set down nothing that will not help somebody. It is one of the beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. To help the young soul, to add energy, inspire hope, & blow the coals into a useful flame; to redeem defeat by new thought & firm action: This, though not easy, is the work of divine man. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


TAKE INVESTING IN OTHERS TO A NEW LEVEL

You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope & achievement. You are here to enrich the world, & you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand ~ President Woodrow Wilson

5 Steps To Enrich the World By Being An Investor
1. Think "Others First"
□ Begin every relationship by giving the other person respect - even before he's had a chance to earn it
2. Focus on the Investment, Not the Return
3. Pick Out a Few People with Great Potential
□ Pick only as many people as you can handle with intensity
□ Choose only people with great potential for growth
□ Choose people whose need for growth matches your gifts & talents
4. With Their Permission, Begin the Process
5. Enjoy a Return in Due Season

There is a destiny that marks us as brothers;
No one goes his way alone:
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own

Image: A helping hand by waterspiritjess

THE SYNERGY QUESTION: Can We Create a Win-Win Relationship?

Win/Win is a frame of mind & heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions…Win/Win is based on the paradigm that there is plenty for everybody, that one person's success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others.
~ Stephen R. Covey

If we're honest about relationships, we'll admit that there are some people with whom we want to spend time, & others with whom we don't. What separates the good relationships we desire from the ones that don't do anything for us? Synergy. They add value to both parties, & that is rewarding.

The following People Principles answer the question, "Can we create a win-win relationship?" & will help anyone who practices them create relationships with synergy.

The Boomerang Principle: When we help others, we help ourselves

The Friendship Principle: All things being equal, people will work with people they like; all things not being equal, they still will.

The Partnership Principle: Working together increases the odds of winning together.

The Satisfaction Principle: In great relationships, the joy of being together is enough.

In the long run, lopsided relationships don't last. If one person is doing all the giving & the other all the receiving, the giver eventually becomes worn out & ironically the taker will become dissatisfied because they'll feel they're not receiving enough.

The only way to build a positive, long-lasting, synergistic relationship is to make sure everybody wins!

Image: Synergy by Scottieknows

The High Road Principle: We Go to a Higher Level When We Treat Others Better Than They Treat Us

Keep a fair-sized cemetery in your back yard in which to bury the faults of your friends. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

The Question I Must Ask Myself: Do I treat others better than they treat me?

If you're slinging mud, you're losing ground. There are really only 3 roads we can travel when it comes to dealing with others:
1. The Low Road - where we treat others worse than they treat us
2. The Middle Road - where we treat others the same as they treat us
3. The High Road - where we treat others better than they treat us

· The low road damages relationships & alienates others from us
· The middle road may not drive people away from us, but it won't attract them to us either; it's reactive rather than proactive & allows others to set the agenda for our lives
· The high road helps to create positive relationships & attracts others to us; it sets a positive agenda with others than even negative people find difficult to undermine.

HIGH ROAD TRAVELERS

The high road truly is the path less traveled. That's because it requires thinking & acting in ways that are not natural or common. However, those who practice the High Road Principle become instruments of grace to others & recipients of grace.

High roaders have several things in common:

1. Understand That It's Not What Happens to You but What Happens in You That Really Matters
○ High roaders stay true to their core values & treat people according to them, not according to external circumstances,
○ A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him ~ David Brinkley
2. Commit Themselves to Traveling the High Road Continually
○ Nearly everyone can be kind in the face of unkindness every once in a while, but it's more difficult to sustain a high road attitude all the time.
○ "Most people make some good choices every day, but they don't make enough good choices to create momentum & obtain success"
§ This is good insight on what happens for people who take the high road all the time: they create momentum & cultivate relational success. Why? Because responding best today puts them in the best place tomorrow.
3. See Their Own Need for Grace, & Therefore, They Extend It to Others
○ "TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO FORGIVE - IS NOT COMPANY POLICY"
§ Although funny, this quote hints at people's natural inclination not to give individuals a break when they act in a way that shows their human frailty
○ We're all humans & make mistakes. People who take the high road recognize their humanness, know they need to be extended grace, & are accordingly more likely to extend it to others.
4. Are Not Victims; They Choose to Serve Others
○ People who take the high road don't do so because no other roads are open to them. They do it as an act of will according to a desire to serve others.
5. Set Higher Standards for Themselves Than Others Would
○ People who embrace the high road make excellence their goal
○ That's something that can be accomplished if we:
§ Care more than others think is wise
§ Risk more than others think is safe
§ Expect more than others think is possible
§ Work more than others think is necessary
○ When we conduct ourselves according to our highest standards, we're less likely to be defensive & take the low road when attacked by others.
§ When you know you've done all you can do, you can let criticism roll off your back like rain.
6. Bring Out the Best in Others
○ The high road is the only path that brings out the best in others.
○ Treat people as though they were what they ought to be & you will help them become what they are capable of becoming. ~ Johann Wolfgang
7. Bring Out the Best in Themselves
○ Making it your practice to always treat others the best that you can affects the way you see the world & yourself
§ Die when I may, I want it said of me by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle & planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow ~ Abe Lincoln
§ The way you treat others is your statement to the world of who you are. Are you making the kind of statement you desire?

If you need help moving to the high road, then follow these "directions":
1. Stay on Kindness Street as long as possible
2. Turn right on Forgiveness Avenue
3. Avoid Get Even Alley because it's a dead end.
4. Climb to the top of the hill, for there you will see the high road
5. Take it & stay on it; & if you lose your way, ask Jesus for help.
The high road is often not the easiest road, but it is the only one that leads to the highest level of living.

The Celebration Principle: The true test of relationships is not only how loyal we are when friends fail, but how thrilled we are when they succeed

Average people don't want others to go beyond average

The Question I Must Ask Myself: Do I enjoy & root for the success of my friends?

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT THE CELEBRATION PRINCIPLE

I. The joy of the accomplishment is diminished when no one celebrates with you
○ Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend's success" ~ Oscar Wilde
II. Many people identify with failure; fewer people identify with success
○ You may be able to impress people with your successes, but if you want to influence them, share your failures. Everyone has failed so it's a great way to connect.
○ The fact that so many people readily identify with failure makes it hard for them to connect with success. And if they don't identify with success, they may resent it.
III. What hinders people from success often keeps them from celebrating others' success
○ Frequently the very same qualities that prevent people from achieving success - emotional insecurity, a scarcity mindset, petty jealousy, etc - prevent them from celebrating others' successes
○ By constantly comparing yourself to others you'll find yourself wanting/lacking, & as a result you'll have a hard time getting beyond yourself
IV. The people who celebrate with you become lifelong friends

BECOMING A PARTY STARTER

Here are 4 ways to learn to celebrate with others instead of ignoring or undermining them.

1. Realize it's not a competition
i. It's impossible to do anything of real significance on your own & it's very difficult to achieve success without help. Even if you do become successful, you won't enjoy it without friends.
ii. Life is better in a community of people you love & who also love you
iii. Other people have an impact on every aspect of life. Most of the time I choose with my attitude whether that impact is positive or negative
iv. Don't look at your friends, family, & teammates as competition. Be the rare kind of person who is happy when others succeed.

My success can be achieved only with others

My lessons can be learned only from others

My weaknesses can be strengthened only by others

My servanthood can be tested only under others' leadership

My influence can be compounded only through others

My leadership can be focused only on others

My best can be given only to others

My legacy can be left only for others

So I should commit myself to & celebrate with others!

2. Celebrate when others see success
i. Not everyone views success the way you do so look at things from other people's point of view
3. Celebrate successes others don't yet see
4. Celebrate most with those closest to you
i. "A genuine friend encourages & challenges us to live out our best thoughts, honor our purest motives, & achieve our most significant dreams" - Dan Reiland

Image: Success by BalionuFeja

The High Calling of Servanthood by Charles F. Stanley

Scripture: ^5-8Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

 ^9-11Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. - Phil 2:5-11

I. Introduction:

As believers, we should follow the example of Jesus, who was equal with God but humbled Himself and became a man (Phil. 2:5-11). Christ told His disciples, “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” (Matt. 20:26-27). Each of us must stop focusing on ourselves and generously meet the needs of others. If we do this without expecting recognition from people, Scripture promises that the Father will honor us.

I. Servanthood is . . .

1. God’s work for every believer. All our actions should reflect the fact that Jesus is not only our Savior but also the master of our lives. Salvation means more than forgiveness and the assurance of heaven; it signifies that we are now servants of the living God. By actively serving Him here on earth, we are preparing for eternity with the Lord (Rev. 22:3). 
   
2. How God carries out His work. In John 14:11-14, Jesus told His disciples that they would do even greater works than He did. While our actions can not compare to the work Christ accomplished on the cross, none of us know our maximum potential. As we surrender our lives to the service of the most high God, He will honor us with true greatness.
   
3. Essential to spiritual growth. Unless you are serving God in some fashion, you aren’t maturing spiritually. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” We should humbly seek to serve people with the attitude Christ had. Even when our giving is overlooked or taken for granted by everyone, our heavenly Father notices (Heb. 6:10). 
   
4. The purpose for spiritual gifts. Every believer has one or more spiritual gifts , which we are to use in serving the body of Christ (1 Peter 4:10). That same attitude of humble service should extend outside the church as well. 
   
5. No assurance against conflict. Servanthood does not guarantee harmonious relationships. Paul and Barnabas disagreed about whether or not to take John Mark with them on the second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-38)

1. Those who serve the Lord aren’t always popular. Some people may not like you, or they may falsely accuse you. When that happens, concentrate on maintaining a servant spirit, and allow the Lord to handle the unfair criticism. And don’t leave a job or ministry position unless He tells you it’s time to move on.

2. How can you get through a difficult conflict? 
a. Remember that serving God means allowing Him to work in and through you––not striving to serve Him in your own strength. 
b. Keep in mind that you are working for the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 3:23). 
c. Let go of selfishness. If you angrily decide to walk away from a position, you are serving yourself. Serving God means obeying His commands and trusting Him to take care of you despite hardship.

III. Conclusion: Greatness is not found in a title, a salary, or a position of influence. True greatness is found in servanthood. Willingly meet the needs of others without looking for recognition from people. God’s Word promises that He will honor your humility (John 12:26). When believers finally realize that our calling is to serve—not merely to seek our own interests—then we will have an irresistible impact on this world.