You can only help in so far as you are strong.
Those who never build their own strength remain weak—and their ability to help others remains weak, too.
Imagine a person who has never lifted a weight running around a gym, giving people 20 minute lectures on how to lift weights.
Now imagine a jacked person who is usually quietly focused in the corner walking over to you and offering you a quick, 20 second correction on your form.
Which would you prefer—the 20 minutes or the 20 seconds?
Of course you’d prefer the 20 seconds.
Because the advice is coming from a place of strength.
And in order to build that strength, what did the jacked person have to do?
Avoid running around the gym giving people 20 minute lectures on how to lift weights and focus on him/herself!
This is the oxymoron of helping others. You can only help others better when you become better. And the only way to become better is to focus on yourself—and occasionally ignore the never-ending call to help others.
Don’t run around offering help to people if you haven’t spent time helping yourself.
Quietly stay focused in your corner until you’ve reached your point of being full.
Then, pour from your full cup the full strength of your advice.