Text I

Helping Others Helps Ourselves

By Victoria - Pineville, Missouri

 I believe helping others is a way to help ourselves. Helping a friend, family, a neighbor, or even a stranger does not necessarily mean fixing their car, or buying them lunch. Helping someone could be as simple as waving or smiling when walking past them. Helping a person could be a small thing such as listening to their problems, offering support and advice, and walking them through an otherwise hard time. Honestly, a person can help another without realizing helping is what they are doing.  

Even though I am only eighteen years of age, I have helped many people and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. In helping others I have become a better person. Offering assistance to others is the best way to leave a good impression on someone. Maybe it is the alleged “bum” on the side of the road; no one can truly know if he is sincerely poor or not except him/her. Still, stopping to give him/her a happy meal or a cup of coffee can show him/her that there are good people left in the world. You may not remember his/her face, but I can guarantee that he/she will remember your kindness forever. 

Maybe you have a family member that is in trouble, and even though you agree with the punishment that has been given, you still feel the need to lend a helping hand. In my book everyone deserves a second chance, however if they blow that chance, then they are one their own. I also believe that everyone deserves the chance not to be judged. There are several people that are cold hearted, but seeing the good or best in them could help them to change into a better person. This is why I believe in helping other people. 

I am soon going into the medical field to become a doctor. I chose this field in order to make the most out of helping people. I would be able to save someone’s life and in turn heal a family’s anguish. Besides healing others, I can deliver a child and make a family come together despite their differences and celebrate the joy of a newborn. I can in turn use my knowledge to discover a cure for cancer or lupus, thus helping many families realize there is still hope. Mostly, however, I would be helping myself in knowing that I have helped so many people for one small act of kindness. I hope that my belief will have a lasting effect on those who read it, and that you too will see the joy in helping others and do the same. 

VICTORIA. Helping others helps ourselves. This I Believe, Pineville, Missouri, [s.d.]. Available at: https://thisibelieve.org/essay/. Accessed on: June 1, 2025.