How to Make Yourself Useful
By: Henry Mukuti
Tags: Personal Development, Improvement, Self Improvement, Personal Growth, Useful

Nature dictates that we grow. One cannot remain in the same position forever. All growth comes from within. We grow so as to make meaningful contributions to the world. We were created not to live in isolation.

Whether you are contributing positively or not the fact still remains that you are endowed with unique talents and potential that need to be shared with the world.

You are part of the big family that is interlinked and interdependent now more than ever before. We now live in a global village where we have more access to either side of the world than before, via the use of technology.

All humans have a duty and responsibility to use their talents and provide solutions that benefit humankind. You can help change the world and make it a better place to live for all by making your life useful.

Everything that you do has an effect on the quality of the kind of life you are leading. If you are positive you are most likely contributing positively to your well-being.

The current state of your well-being largely determines how much your contribution is to the world. Stop thinking that you have nothing to give.

No matter what you are going through, the fact that you are still alive means that God is not yet through with you. He has given you another opportunity to change the things that you need to change in your life.

Stop giving excuses, get up and get ready for your next challenge. Life is about overcoming obstacles and challenges that are thrown at us.

Make your life worthwhile by being positive and useful. Life was not meant to be lived miserably or unhappy. Get out of your negative frame of mind and begin to do something meaningful with your life.

Decide What You Want for Your Life

When you do not have a plan for your life you live an aimless one. You move with the wind. Opportunities will pass you by. Often times you will be forced to take anything that comes your way just to make earns meet.

However, if you have a plan, you tend to attract and choose the right opportunities that help advance your life to the next level. You make your choices off the fact that they are in tandem with your life’s vision and plan.

If you have a plan in place you are more likely living a very happy and fulfilling life. You are more likely making changes that are influencing the world positively.

That is why it is very advisable to quickly formulate your life’s plan early in life. This way you live to enjoy the fruits of your labour much much longer. It also helps because this is the time when you have so much energy to pursue your dreams.

However, if you do have a plan for your life you can devise it right away. The following techniques might be of great help when coming up with your plan.

Prayer — prayer moves mountains. Spend time in prayer, seeking God’s guidance over your life. God has the blueprint for your life. He has the manual for your life. He knows what you are capable of doing and what you can achieve. Put him at the centre of your life. Let him be the guiding force over everything you do. The bible says “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” God is never tired of being asked.

— prayer moves mountains. Spend time in prayer, seeking God’s guidance over your life. God has the blueprint for your life. He has the manual for your life. He knows what you are capable of doing and what you can achieve. Put him at the centre of your life. Let him be the guiding force over everything you do. The bible says “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” God is never tired of being asked. Find what makes you happy — I believe that we all want to live a happy life. We are most effective when we are happy. Find what makes you happy and do more of it. If you do not derive pleasure from your current job or employment, it is definitely not for you. I guess that your performance is not as effective as it should be. You should seriously evaluate your current job or employment before you make any further decisions that may affect your financial livelihood.

I believe that we all want to live a happy life. We are most effective when we are happy. Find what makes you happy and do more of it. If you do not derive pleasure from your current job or employment, it is definitely not for you. I guess that your performance is not as effective as it should be. You should seriously evaluate your current job or employment before you make any further decisions that may affect your financial livelihood. Find what you do with less effort — We all have something that we can give easily. Deep down embedded in each and every one of us, is something that flows with very little or no effort. You need to tap into that realm and harness it. It is most likely what your purpose is all about.

Take Action

Once you have decided what you want your life to be like, it is time to take action. It is time to set the train of life into motion. They say “a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.” By the way, make sure you write down your life’s plan on paper.

Break your plan into smaller achievable goals and begin to work on them. Start working towards achieving your goals even when your plan is not as perfect as you want it. It will become more clearer when you start working on it and as you put God at the centre of every aspect of your life.

God is always faithful when we trust him and involve him in our daily activities.

Action is what produces results. To succeed you need to work and work smart. Work is motion in action. Yes, you will encounter failure. Your reaction to failure will determine your willingness to achieve your life’s plan. Don’t let failure stop you from achieving your destiny.

Do not be discouraged when you fail. Failure is part of personal development. Instead, learn from your failures and mistakes.

Resolve to do something that helps move you closer to your goals every single day. Remember you are on a journey and every step make counts. When you do nothing, you delay your own progress. When you take action you accelerate your progress.

Taking action makes you feel useful. When you are moving towards achieving your personal growth you are also naturally contributing to the world.

You may not know it, but remember that you will be interacting with nature as you work towards improving your life. Nature is neutral. It will give you back what you give.

Be Thankful and Helpful

Practicing gratitude is of paramount importance to humanity. To have a great impact on people you must learn to be thankful and be of help. A little thank you when you have been saved goes a long way to lifting the morale of the person serving.

Being thankful is a way of showing appreciation for the service being rendered. Being thankful is also a sign of showing gratitude.

Many studies that have been conducted have shown that gratitude can be a very important source of happiness. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

Being helpful is another way of making your life useful. Helping others is good for your heart, it relieves pain and stress, and motivates you to achieve your own goals.

Being helpful is not only good for you, but it is also good for the person receiving help. One act of kindness can turn into many acts of reciprocal kindness. When you offer to help someone, do it voluntarily and do not expect anything in return. If you do it with expectations you will be disappointed.

There is always someone that needs help, look around and find someone you can lend a helping hand. Most of us think that help always has to be in monetary terms. Actually, help can be in any acceptable form. Helping is a form of service and I believe that there is joy in service.

In the same vein of helping, you must also learn to ask for help when you need it. This way you give chance for people to shine in their areas of expertise. You give people the opportunity to grow when they are of help to you.

Share What You Have

They say sharing is caring. Don’t live a lonely life. Be open with people about your knowledge and skills. Let them know that you are always ready to share with them when requested to do so.

Do not be stingy with what you have. Sharing allows you to create even more closer relationships with other people. Know that what you have is valuable and is needed by many other people. The world would not be what it is today if many other people did not share their knowledge, skills, and or possessions with us.

Sharing is an act of kindness. The bible encourages us to share, “there are more blessings from giving than receiving.” When we give we create room for more blessings.

Conclusion

Being useful does not necessarily mean allowing other people to use you. It means offering what you can when you can and doing so with a happy and willing heart. It means you creating time for other people.