I've found that in recent years, when I get stressed out financially, I become almost aggressively helpful. If I can't fix my own situation, I'll damn well help someone else. And it works! Here's why...
1) There is an undeniable physiological response. Helping others releases serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin, the chemicals which make you feel stable, happy and connected. Further, giving releases endorphins, which helps fight off depression.
2) Helping others freely creates community. Isolation leads to all sorts of terrible outcomes, including chronic stress, insomnia, depression and anxiety, lack of self care, hopelessness and even risk of suicide. Each time you offer your time or effort and ask for nothing in return, you are creating strong bonds that will insulate you from spiraling downward.
3) Helping people creates opportunity. Stop relentlessly submitting your resume to strangers and start leveraging your network. Helping people solve their own problems is highly effective personal marketing. Whether it's helping another founder code up an MVP or acting as a beta reader for an author friend, you never know when a good deed might create something unexpectedly wonderful.
4) Helping others creates reciprocity. As Benjamin Franklin knew, doing a favor for someone makes them more likely to treat you well in the future. Imagine helping a handful of connections each month and a year later having dozens of people supporting you in return.
In the economic hellscape that is 2023, I've lost nearly half my coaching income over the last six months and it suhhhhks. And I'm definitely spending some of that newly freed time working directly on business development.
At the same time, I've become incredibly giving of that time, working with several amazing founders pro bono, either because they're friends or working on fantastic missions (or both). As a result, there has yet to be two consecutive nights where I've gone to bed stressed out.
We're wired to benefit from giving, so make time to do so, even when it feels like the world is about to cave in.
#founders #mentalhealth #winwin