Give and you shall receive

Helping other people brings me joy and creates relationships that can also support me when I need help myself. Launching Dinero shows me how much it means to share your knowledge and give something over a long period.

This is how I get lots of "free" help from near and far. Best wishes, Martin

 

Helping other people does you good too

I have not made as many useful videos over the last three or four weeks as I would have liked. There has been quite a lot of talk about Dinero and my own projects because that is what has filled my time. But today I want to use it as an example of something I think is incredibly important: giving and helping others.

This is my account from May 2013. We have both moved Amino and launched Dinero, so there has been a lot to manage. And the launch in particular shows me how much it means to have given something to others over a long period.

The move that took over everything

On Nattergalvej in Nordvest, we had around 200 square metres and were increasingly on top of one another. We had had to use the TV studio for meetings and other things, and making TV was difficult. People were everywhere, and there was not proper room for everyday work.

Now we have around 500 square metres near the corner of Lundtoftegade and Hillerødgade. It has high ceilings, a bit of a New York feel and a roof terrace. I think it is fantastic, and we have negotiated a low rent. But moving obviously takes a lot of time.

There was also an unpleasant incident. In the video, I say the man I had previously described as having stolen our TV equipment appeared at the new premises the day after the move. We had previously recovered the equipment. In my account, he came to steal again without knowing he had arrived at our place.

We got him out, and I explain that afterwards he smashed car windows and stole things including gym clothes belonging to a project manager’s child. That was my description of the incident at the time, and I was really angry and frustrated about it. Together with the move and launch, it helped fill our time.

3,300 businesses without a big advertising budget

But my point today concerns the Dinero launch. We have had around 3,300 businesses sign up, primarily through my Facebook, Twitter and YouTube videos. I begin by saying I have not spent a krone on marketing, but correct myself: I have tried boosting something on Facebook for around 75 dollars to see how it worked. So it was not entirely without payment.

It was still very little compared with what we got out of it. Think about the value of being able to launch that way. How is it possible?

I think it is connected to what I have built by giving. At this point, I have published around 450 videos for free. I have shared a lot on Twitter and Facebook, written and done other things, and I keep Amino available for people to use for free. There is advertising in it now and then, but people can get the experiences and content without paying me to watch.

I give because I like helping

Some ask why I give so much away. The first reason is that I really like helping other people. I feel proud and happy when someone writes that something I said or did helped them with their business or personally.

I receive messages from people saying thank you. Call it boosting my ego or making me feel good about myself. A psychologist could probably say plenty about that. I just think it is fine. It feels good to do something others can use.

The second reason is that once you have given a lot, there are also people who want to help when you need it yourself. I do not know how many hundreds have shared my Dinero posts and videos on Twitter and Facebook. It has been overwhelming.

If you are one of them, thank you from the heart. It means everything to me. Dinero is my main focus right now, and I am really grateful for the help coming in.

Think about what you can do for others

My advice is to spend less energy thinking about what you can get from other people and more on what you can help them with. Try doing something selfless that makes another person happy, and notice how it feels.

It does not have to be big. While recording the video in the car, I wait for a driver who has forgotten to indicate. That actually fits the point quite well: be kind in traffic and make room. If you are not in a hurry at the baker’s, you can give your low queue number to someone who is. It costs you nothing, and you make a difference to the other person.

You also show you have something to spare. That could be collecting for the Red Cross, making room on the road or being considerate in a queue. In my experience, people with something to spare attract other people, including successful people. We want to be around people who can think about someone besides themselves.

I struggle with pettiness, stinginess and people who constantly have to cheat their way to the front or gain a small advantage at others’ expense. Perhaps they gain something in the short term. But they lose something bigger: others become less inclined to be around them and help them.

The people I want around me are those who reach out when someone needs help. Those who are generous and buy the next round. That behaviour signals that you have something to spare, and I believe it can help create more success.

Reciprocity comes from relationships, not a cosmic ledger

I have previously talked about reciprocal value: when you give something to another person, a desire to give something back may arise. When I ask someone to share a video about Dinero, some people think I have provided something they could use and therefore want to help me.

I describe it as a kind of potential energy in relationships. It is not religious, and I do not believe in a cosmic ledger. The person you give your queue number to at the baker’s may never have the chance to help you again. Nor should that be a requirement.

But if you keep helping and being generous, over time you will meet people who remember it. The day you need a favour, a pat on the back or a few kind words, someone may be ready.

That effect takes time to develop. The good feeling of doing something for others, on the other hand, can come immediately. You can feel better about yourself and become happier without waiting for anyone to repay you.

Try it for the rest of the day

Do yourself the favour of trying it today. Pick up something someone has dropped. Put a piece of litter in the bin. Let a driver out of a side road. Give your low queue number at the baker’s to someone who looks in a hurry.

Notice what it does for you, and feel free to share the experience. For me, giving is both a way to help others and a way to create joy, relationships and energy in my own life.

Read also Skab din egen succes about finding your own path and making a difference with what you can do.