How to Feel Better About Yourself by Giving to Others: The Golden Rule

Such an easy concept to understand, as children we hear parents warn us to always treat others as we would like to be treated. Simple enough, so what happens and how does it all become so complicated.

No one always feels great, although as we mature, somehow we are taught (most of us anyway) that a smile and positive attitude are a more acceptable outfit to wear. The old cliche "you can catch more flies with honey" seems to hold true here, at least I have come to realize that I enjoy spending time with people who refrain from whining about their problems all the time. This is not to say that anyone's life is carefree - quite the contrary! I have been surprised on more than one occasion when I have learned about a seemingly perfect individual's very private battles.

That said, I am not advocating that anyone should wear a phony get-up, in fact there is a time to share life's challenges. I welcome this from others and it gives me insight into the human condition; The realization that everyone has their own struggles allows one to appreciate their own existence. However, there is a balance that we all must find for ourselves, but one must pay attention. If one is so self-absorbed that they are oblivious to the happiness of others they have not yet found it. What ever "it" is that gets us up in the morning, through the day and over headaches, heartaches with misery to spare.

We have all had those dark days, unforeseen gloom that just won't go away...Without the negative however, we can not really fully appreciate those positive moments in life so if you indeed can find nothing else to look forward to, remember, everything will eventually take a turn for the better! It will get better, right? When you find yourself with a bad case of the blues, you can wait for time to pass, marking the days off the calendar like you were sentenced to life or you can take a more proactive stance and do a few things to speed up the recovery process a bit. There are more than a few things that you can do right now, that will make you feel better about yourself. Tap into subjects that you are passionate about and get involved.

• Look around, in your own home, neighborhood, or community, volunteer your time teaching someone a new skill or tutoring students who are struggling to keep up

• Be a mentor to an at-risk youth who just needs someone to talk to every now and then

• Like animals? Volunteer with rescue efforts in your community - be a foster parent to a homeless pet or visit your local humane society and see what you can get involved with

• Are you good at organizing? Head up fundraisers for your favorite cause, get involved with local senior center or homeless outreach efforts, there are never a lack of problems to solve

Chances are, when you able to look outside yourself, you will find a diversion of sorts that make you understand that your life may not be so bad after all. Helping others will put your own life into perspective and the time you donate will be worth it--your karma cup runneth over with goodness and you will some how, some way get it back ten times over - always when you least expect it.

No one ever said that life is easy but the sooner you realize your potential and find joy in sharing with others the sooner you will smile a genuine smile, even when you don't feel like it. Stop fighting and make an attempt to flow with the positive, good that exists in more places than you thought.