I didn’t invent the phrase, People Helper, but it most aptly describes what I and many people do – help people.

Many people lend a hand to people. For example, in the area of financial assistance, some are hugely successful and philanthropic; others are just kind souls of limited means. In area of services, some build houses for the disadvantaged and others volunteer their time at a hospital, hospice or soup kitchen.

People Helper in my vocabulary is pretty specific – people who can point to a pathway that will get another from here to there and skillfully guide them to that path.

Psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and psychotherapists of all sorts make up the genre I refer to as people helpers.

People helping is a path I’ve been on for over 25 years and here is a discovery I made along the way:

“I became a better people helper when I became a better person.”

Now I realize that “better” is an elastic word subject to multiple interpretations, so here is my attempt at a definition. “Better person” for me means, that I have to drop my pre-conceived baggage when dealing with others so that I can respond to what’s in front of me, rather than what my baggage says is there. It’s a reality based strategy that takes away all the window dressing and it keeps us from kidding ourselves and others.

“Better person” in this context means you get less of my baggage when we interact and that lightens both of our loads.

In any encounter with another, you both bring baggage. It can weigh down the communication if there is too much, and you or they may never begin on a new pathway because your respective loads are so heavy.

If you want to be a better people helper, whether you’re a professional or not, you enhance the process by letting go of your baggage of what you think is best, and then discover together the most appropriate path to walk down.

It feels like working without a net the first few times you try it, because we are so used to toting our preconceived baggage. Once you begin to trust your ability to respond in the moment, without the baggage of having to know what to say, you become more effective in any encounter.

If you have an interest in helping people, here is a suggestion: Travel light.

All the best,

John

http://JohnMorganHypnosis.com

http://GrasshopperNotes.com

http://cdbaby.com/cd/johnmorgan

http://www.cafepress.com/grasshoppernote/3580301

http://HypnosisForDogs.com