4. Alway help. Never keep score. - Jonathan Goodman
One morning in late June, I woke up to an email from the editor for one of the world’s largest fitness platforms.
I didn't ask for help, but he was offering it: a chance to contribute content, become a promotional partner, and share some exciting opportunities.
His email ended with this line: "I'll always remember how you helped me start online training four years ago. I still have some of those clients! The script you gave me was brilliant."
I don't
remember helping him. But he remembers me helping him, and if this partnership works out, he’ll repay me many times over.
I’ve helped lots of people over the years. I’ll never hear from most of them, and that's fine. It’s how these things work. You don't keep score.
But that’s not the way most of us approach favors, whether they’re personal or professional.
It's natural to make a deal in your head. You think that, because you helped them, they owe you something, even though they were never made aware of the deal. When they don't keep their end of the bargain—and how could they, since it only existed in your imagination?—you hold them in contempt.
My advice: Always help, and never keep score.
You never know what the people you help will become, or whether they’ll acknowledge what you did for them. Those things are out of your hands. But if you can be a catalyst for change during somebody’s journey, you're
already positioned well for success.
This morning I caught a lucky break not because I'm a lucky guy, but because I've spent thousands of hours over many years manufacturing my luck. One way I did it was by helping people with no consideration of whether I'd ever be repaid.
Don't make deals. Genuinely help people.
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