Helping Others Help Themselves

There is an old saying "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he can eat every day"! There has never been a truer statement made. This is true with everything in life. If you take the time to teach someone how to do something for themselves then they become a more responsible person who is able to take care of themselves and do for themselves. I remember my precious mother-in-law took time to teach her grandchildren (my kids) how to cook and bake. She passed away over 4 years ago but her homemade apple pie and apple dumplings live on through her grandson's efforts.  On my journey to a new me I am discovering that I am able to help people help themselves when it comes to offering ideas and tips on how to successfully lose weight because I have now lost 80 pounds in only 8 months without any surgery or other method.

First you have to identify someone who wants your help. I remember the first time that we brought our soon-to-be adopted 12 year old son to meet my mother-in-law.   She was cooking up something delicious in her kitchen and when she met him she asked him if he knew how to cook.  He responded that he could make eggs, and she said that no grandson of hers was going to go through life not knowing how to cook, and from that moment on she began to teach him the art of baking cakes, pies, and other desserts from scratch. 

My husband is an excellent artist and he loves to paint watercolors.  I remember last year on a vacation to Savannah, Georgia that we sat on the veranda at a bed and breakfast that we were staying at and he began to teach me how to watercolor.  It was very enjoyable and relaxing.  That was a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life.



Me this past weekend at my grandparents home
in Wilmer, AL (Mobile Area)  They were
so happy to see us & were proud of my
weight loss so far, 80 lbs. gone!



For someone to help someone help themselves, you must first be willing to give of yourself.  And in both of the examples above the persons who were the "teachers" did just that.  But there is also something to be said about the "student".  To learn from someone else, the "student" must be willing to be taught and to listen and learn.  My son is a very strong willed child and I can remember him trying to tell my mother-in-law a better way to do something, and she allowed him to do it his way and it failed.  The same is true with my art lesson in watercolor.  My husband tried to explain that I did not have to try to make it perfect.  I could just layer the color until I got the color just right.  But I tried too hard to do it the way that I thought would give me the best result and he had to come back and make corrections to what I was doing.

On my journey to a new me I have done a few things right and I have made some mistakes along the way.  When you are trying to do something that does not come naturally to you it may take a few times before you can master it.  Just like the watercolor was not the easiest thing that I have ever attempted, my weight loss journey is even more difficult.  My 85 pound weight loss goal has been set for Labor Day and I am looking forward to hitting this mile marker on my journey.  I will keep you posted as the day approaches, but in the mean time think about what you can do to help others help themselves.  You may find it is a rewarding experience that is worth attempting along the way.