Contributing to something beyond oneself can enhance purpose and cohesion. This need may motivate service, knowledge-sharing, and creative work that benefits others. Channeling contribution converts personal energy into collective gains.
People have a fundamental desire to contribute to causes or communities larger than themselves – doing so often gives a deep sense of purpose and strengthens social bonds. This need for contribution fuels activities like volunteering, sharing one’s knowledge or skills freely, or creating something for the common good. Studies find that engaging in prosocial service (e.g., helping others or one’s community) can improve one’s own wellbeing and instill a stronger sense of meaning in life. Essentially, by channeling our time and energy into contributions that benefit others or society, we transform individual effort into collective good. This not only aids the group (collective gains) but also feeds back to the individual as feelings of fulfillment, belonging, and coherence with one’s values.
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Listen to someone speak and before you answer, try to get in touch with their underlying need first. Often I find when the help I offer doesn't *actually help* my need for contribution is frustrated. Try to avoid offering help until it's be explicitly requested. Instead, listen for their underlying need and try to connect to that.
No one likes unsolicited advise (unfortunately), but you can share your strategies here for others to find when they are looking for them ;) It would make our lives so much more wonderful if you did!
There is such a wide diversity of video games out there. Calming exploratory games, puzzle games, combat, story, single or multiplayer, etc. Once I get in touch with the need that is alive in me it’s fun to look for a game or game genre that might tend specifically to that.
Consider asking someone to share a vulnerable and specific request with you? Call a friend or loved one and vulnerably share that you really are just wanting to make life wonderful for them but you're unsure how. Make clear that you are looking for requests that leave out all ambiguity. Ask if they would share what needs are alive in them and imagine ways you could contribute to *one* of them.
Consider looking for charity work in your area. Find a soup kitchen for the homeless or a local nonprofit doing work you believe in. Even just walking along picking up trash truly does make life more wonderful for your entire community - even if only in some small and sacred way.
Leave a brief, sincere encouragement on a post.
Write a concrete, doable request you could ask someone this week.
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