"We rise by lifting others." - Robert Ingersoll

There are billions of people on this earth. It's absolutely absurd when you think about it. The world is so big, but it's a lot bigger than you may first think. Each one of those billions of people has their own story. They each have their own families, relationships, jobs, and problems. When you really think about it, your problems become a lot smaller at that moment.

But we all have problems, don't we? To be completely honest, 99 percent of the time we are so focused on our own crap that we forget to acknowledge the other 999,999,999 people dealing with problems on this earth. We're going to therapy, voicing our problems, and trying to figure out what we can do to help ourselves get out of this rut and live our happiest lives.

Have you ever thought that maybe focussing on helping other people with their problems may actually help you?

"What? That's insane!"

It may seem impossible at first, and truthfully I didn't believe it either when I first read that quote. But after letting it manifest in my life for a bit of time, I came to realize that making others feel good made me feel good. Which then inevitably leads to you forgetting about all the details of your own problems because you're so invested in helping others figure it out.

Now, this doesn't mean forget about your own mental health, but honestly, by focussing on helping others, we can actually indirectly help ourselves. It's a win-win situation.

Helping others doesn't have to mean you're solving someone's deepest, darkest issues, either. It truly just means lifting others up. This can be as simple as complimenting someone on their outfit, buying a random stranger's coffee, or just listening to someone let it all out.

Letting your friends and family know that you're there for them. Making the effort and saying hi. Telling someone you appreciate them. These gestures don't have to be big and grand. They can be as simple as, "I hope you have an amazing day."

You need to manifest this thinking into your daily life. Making others feel good should make you feel good. Making others smile should make you smile. Lifting others up should lift you up, too.

Sometimes focusing on ourselves comes from focusing on others. So I hope right now you whip out your phone and text your loved ones and tell them they're appreciated. If you're in a public space, tell someone they look nice today. Let someone that you know is struggling understand that you are there for them.

Reach out to people and make them feel uplifted. We rise by lifting others.