Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I've been contemplating Helen Keller's insight about happiness - how it's not what we have or what others do for us that brings true joy, but rather what we think, feel, and do for others first, then ourselves.

I've noticed in my own life how focusing on someone else's needs creates this uplifting energy that benefits both of us. It's like there's this counterintuitive path to emotional well-being that involves shifting attention away from myself. The more I prioritize others' needs above my own concerns, the more I seem to progress toward a sense of wholeness.

What's particularly interesting is how this shift in focus affects my personal problems. When I look beyond myself, the issues I've been fixating on often fade away from simple neglect. I've realized that many of my problems only persist because I keep feeding them with my attention and obsession. There's something genuinely refreshing about switching perspective - it offers a new outlook that almost always proves beneficial.

I try to remind myself daily that I'm surrounded by people whose needs may be greater than my own. There's something healing about temporarily forgetting myself in service to others. My own well-being seems to flourish most when I'm focused outward rather than inward.