In popular culture, success often has an individualistic image: a successful person is someone who climbs the ladder of progress alone, leaves competitors behind, and reaches the peak. But does this image align with what we deep down expect from success? You may have experienced that after achieving a major personal goal, the deep sense of satisfaction you expected was not very lasting. The reason for this feeling lies in the inseparable connection between success and “serving others.”
The Secret of Success That Cannot Be Achieved Alone
Humans are social beings, and a significant part of their identity is formed in relation to others. A success in which others have no role and which does not serve others is an incomplete success. In this article, we explore three levels of service, each playing a key role in the personal and social excellence of success.
Kindness; The Simplest and Deepest Form of Service
Kindness is the simplest yet deepest form of serving one’s fellow human beings. A smile, a kind word, patient listening – all are examples of kindness. Kindness has amazing effects on the psyche: increasing the sense of worth (for both the giver and the receiver), reducing stress (research shows that kind acts lower cortisol levels and increase oxytocin release [25]), and creating connection (kindness breaks down walls of separation).
Self-Sacrifice (Ithar); Putting Others Before Oneself
Self-sacrifice (Ithar) means giving up one’s own right for the benefit of another. Ithar is higher than kindness. Kindness is doing good to another, but Ithar is sacrificing oneself. Ithar is a sign of emotional and psychological maturity. A person who can forgo their own interests to help another has reached a high level of moral development. This level of service leaves deep and lasting effects both for the person who sacrifices and for society.
Solving Collective Problems; Participating in Improving Social Structures
A higher level of service is participating in solving collective problems. This level goes beyond helping individuals; it aims to improve structures and general conditions of society. Such service has three important characteristics: lasting impact (solving a collective problem has a lasting and widespread effect), deep meaningfulness (someone who participates in solving society’s problems gives their life a greater purpose), and fostering a sense of belonging (it strengthens the sense of belonging to the community).
Practical Exercises for Serving in Daily Life
To incorporate serving others into daily life, you can do the following practical exercises:
– Secret service: Every day, do a good deed for others without anyone noticing.
– Active listening: Listen carefully to others, without judgment and without your mind being occupied with a response.
– Voluntary participation: Take part in volunteer and charitable activities.
– Helping the needy: Help those in need while preserving their dignity.
– Solving a social problem: Identify a small problem in your neighbourhood and take a step to solve it.
Serving others does not diminish success; rather, it makes it deeper, more lasting, and more meaningful. True success is not formed in isolation; it finds its meaning in connection with others.
References
[25] Fredrickson, Barbara. Positivity. Translated by Mohammadi, F. Tehran: Qatreh Publications, 2017, p. 167.
[24] The Holy Quran, Surah An-Nahl, Verse 90.
[26] Koleini, Mohammad ibn Ya’qub. Usul al-Kafi. Volume 2, Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, 2008, p. 165.
[27] The Holy Quran, Surah Al-Hashr, Verse 9.
[28] Motahhari, Morteza. Man and Faith. Tehran: Sadra Publications, 2011, p. 112.
