Weekly Reset: Selflessness
How giving others what they need unlocks what you truly want.
"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor." - Seneca
Greed.
A silent hunger.
A consuming void.
It whispers “more,”
always more.
Never satisfied.
You see its shadow everywhere—
on screens,
in headlines,
on the faces of those
who chase power without purpose.
Greed,
however,
is not our default state.
We are creatures who have evolved
to share,
to give.
To be more than just
consumers,
takers,
hoarders.
We are creatures whose
base instincts come from a place of care,
and mutual survival.
The greatest threat today,
is not humanity,
but its learned desire,
its modern habit,
to want more than we need.
What We Are
Belonging.
That is what we crave,
but we have forgotten
that we already have it.
The ancient peoples of this land
understood long ago:
humanity is part of a greater whole.
A circle.
Neither above the world in dominion,
nor below it as an unwelcome scourge.
Simply, a part.
They knew:
We already belong.
We are already enough.
By simply existing,
we bring life and joy into
this world.
Take a moment.
Pause.
Dwell on this thought.
Read that paragaph again.
And again.
And again.
Until you start to believe it.
Without that understanding—
Without that belief—
we will never be satisfied.
Satiated.
Content.
And finding contentment is the
key to unlocking a life of purpose.
Give Up What you Want to Find It
Wanting—
the more benign cousin of greed—
robs us of contentment.
When we are content,
we find it easy-
even joyful-
to help others.
And science tells us,
that helping others is where we find
fulfillment,
enjoyment,
meaning.
By helping others,
being selfless,
we step into a world of abundance.
We stop seeing people as competitors.
Enemies.
And see them
for who they truly are.
Fellow beings trying to live.
Survive.
The eyes of a stranger
will never look more beautiful,
than on the day you give them a gift—
without asking for something in return.
In that moment,
that small act of care,
you will find what you have been wanting.
Longing.
Waiting so desperately to receive.
Try This
This week,
take a moment to think about the people you interact with.
Pause.
Open your eyes to the world around you.
Find one person you know you can give a moment of yourself to.
Then:
Think:
Take some time to consider what they need.
Don’t be mindless in your giving.
Make it count.Give: Give of yourself fully, completely.
Give time, resources—
whatever you feel will have the most impact.Don’t Ask for Anything in Return:
Leave your gift with them, and put no conditions.
If they offer something in return, accept it graciously.Reciprocity is the key to a life of peace.
Think Again:
How did that action make you feel?
A gift freely given, without expectation,
will change your day for the better.
Gift Economy
Imagine.
A marketplace where everything is free.
No conditions.
No expectations.
You take what you need,
and give back out your abundance.
Think deeply about how that world would make you feel.
For most of us,
it will brighten our souls.
Shining light into places
long hidden in shadow.
Revealing who we truly are—
beings of caring,
love,
selflessness.
That is the world
Robin Wall Kimmerer dreams of.
A world her ancestors lived.
A world greed almost destroyed.
But they survived.
Through their love for each other.
Through their understanding of their place.
They remind us:
not all is lost.
We can remember who we are.
That we already belong.
We can see the world
as a place of abundance.
Of gifts.
We just have to choose selflessness.
To let go of wanting,
and focus on the needs of others.
One moment,
one breath,
at a time.