Culture of Selfishness

As someone who promotes kindness, sensitivity, and creativity, it's difficult to observe the level of selfishness in our culture. It's like watching the kid in a sandbox who hoards all the toys and doesn't share with anyone. People are frequently so selfish that they support ideas that hurt others.

The myth is that, if you're selfish, you'll get to keep more stuff for yourself and feel more secure. My life coaching practice has taught me that selfishness never leads to happiness because people not only feel bad about hurting others, they don't feel any safer either. Selfishness comes from a deep insecurity inside the person. Even if they had every single dollar, bit of power, or material possession in the world, they still wouldn't feel at peace.

So how do you solve this selfishness conundrum? It all starts with healing our own hurts so we can treat ourselves and others well. When people feel healthy and balanced inside, they are much more likely to treat others with kindness and compassion. The second step is to promote collaboration. Encourage people to work with each other rather than against one another. Build a society that rewards helping others rather than taking advantage of others. The final element is to promote giving. When you give to others (whether it be good thoughts, time, or money) you start building a more collaborative, healthy world.

The reason I love coaching kind, sensitive, creative people is that those are precisely the kind of qualities that build a healthier, happier, more equitable world. What would you do to heal the culture of selfishness?

Cheers,
Guy