Building your self-esteem is a huge part of creating your happiness. Perhaps the best part is that every time you do something that builds your self-esteem, you are making another person happy and grateful.

Building your self-esteem is the best value on the planet because it costs you nothing.

On a recent trip to the city I saw a homeless man lying on the footpath. I noticed that people avoided him. I decided to talk to him and I walked over and quietly asked him if he would be offended if I gave him some money. His face lit up with a response that assured me he was pleased for the offer. I gave him $20 and he thanked me. His reaction was slightly emotional because I guess he wasn’t used to strangers offering help. The $20 was not much for me but everything to him.

What we can learn from this simple encounter is…

1. I treated him with respect by asking him if I could assist.
2. I did not assume a superior position to him by adding conditions to his use of the $20.
3. It would have been disrespectful if I had said ‘this is only for you to buy food’.
4. From his experience at being avoided by almost every person who ignored him I restored in a small

way his dignity and faith in people.

5. He felt more secure for a day or two because he had some money and his pride and ability to survive

in a cold world was temporarily restored.

I also felt very good about the interaction because I had my self-esteem elevated. I felt good about being able to help someone I didn’t know to have a better day.

When people choose or are forced to be homeless perhaps because they believe they had failed life’s challenges, they may have chosen between suicide and homelessness. Choosing to live on the streets might be an act of last choice for them. Just imagine how you would feel if you couldn’t come home to a safe place, meals, family and a warm bed at night.

EVERY random act of kindness or assistance makes two people feel better.

• If you help someone at the local shopping centre to load heavy groceries into their car, both of you feel happy. Open a door. Smile and say Good morning. Let someone go ahead of you in the checkout if they only have one or two items.
• If you see someone who might be lost or looking for assistance, give it. Just a few minutes of your day to help someone builds your self-esteem. If it means helping someone to walk across a busy intersection, it makes that person feel safe and it costs you a few minutes of your life.

We said earlier in THE WINNERS CIRCLE that ANYONE CAN BE A WINNER. Anything you do for other people makes you a winner. Tony Robbins teaches you to take small steps toward your goals. Small random acts of kindness are also part of the small steps toward building and maintaining your self-respect, a result that only you can accomplish.

THE WINNERS CIRCLE teaches that respect must be earned. People you know who see you doing nice things for others will respect you for it. Even if no one sees you doing these things, YOU know you did it and that makes you a winner.