I had a conversation this week with some friends and we started talking about helping others and how frustrating it can be when those we help don’t help themselves. At least that how we perceive it. But the reality is that some people we help do want to help themselves, they’re just not ready yet.
I’m sure you’ve been there. You’ve tried helping a family member, a friend, or a coworker. Maybe they needed some advice or they asked you for direction of some sort to improve in some way.
So you help them. You make them a priority. You invest your time and energy. You pour yourself into that person only to see them not take your advice and not make any kind of progress at all.
You start to feel like you’re wasting your time. Why help others if they won’t help themselves?
What else can you do to help this person see the light? What else can you say to help them get it?
Understand this: you may never see that person bloom and become everything they’re meant to be.
Not because they can’t or won’t get there. And not because you’re doing anything wrong. But because when it comes to helping others, we’re either the seed, the pot, or the water.
In the moment, you may not recognize which one you are. If you’ve been trying to help someone and they’re just not getting it, you may just be the seed. If you’re starting to see a change for the better but no major progress, you may just be the pot. Be okay with that. Realize that without you, that person wouldn’t have a chance to improve their life at some point in the future.
If you see results, recognize that there were others before you who helped you become the water.