Three Words Will Change Your Career and Life

Three weeks ago, I quietly published my 200th edition of Mountain Minute. (So quietly, in fact, that even I didn't notice the milestone.) At the time, I had zero subscribers and a general desire to write regularly about ways to do well by doing good.

Today, over 178,000 of you read this newsletter, a fact that fills me with gratitude. This morning, I realized that the vast majority of you have never seen my first issue, so I am resharing it here.

Thank you for reading Mountain Minute, for contributing your own ideas and insights, and for being a powerful force for good.

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Video transcript: Hi, this is Bruce Kasanoff with the first-ever Mountain Minute, where I show you how to help your career by helping other people.

Well, the first and simplest tip of all is... every time you encounter another person, you should have three words in your head. Those words are, "Help this person."

So whether you walk into a meeting or walk into a Starbucks, the first three words in your head should be, "Help this person." Before you do anything else, you should be thinking, how can I help this other person? What can I do for them?

If you put those three words in your head, it changes everything. It changes your impact, it changes how you interact with other people and it changes how they perceive you. Try it. "Help this person," every time. If the phone rings... if you encounter another person on the street, "Help this person."

Three words. They'll change your life, they'll change your career. Stay tuned for more Mountain Minutes."

A bit more background: This way of thinking is not entirely altruistic. You might say that it is selfish, in the best sense of the word. The single best way to help yourself is to always be looking for ways to help other people. Sure, you'll be making the world a better place, and over?the course of your life, you will help many thousands of people. But don't do it because you ought to, or because it's the "right" thing to do. Do it because it is the single best way to use your talents and to maximize the impact you have on the world.

If you have a subordinate who isn't pulling her weight, instead of criticizing her, every time you see her think:?help this person. Now, this doesn't mean let her slide, or ignore her shortcomings. It means help her either improve her skills or find a position better suited to her strengths. But?don't just brush her aside; really help her.

But, wait a minute – I know what some of you are thinking. What about the people who take credit for other people's work? What about the rich and powerful who have gotten that way by crushing others? Doesn't their success prove me wrong? Not at all.

Sure, there are some people who take the exact opposite strategy. But it takes real skill and focus to succeed by being evil, and most of us just don't have the fortitude to pull it off. For those of us with a soul and a heart, the only real choice is to succeed by helping others.

By first thinking?help this person, you will change the ways that others perceive you. There is no faster or more effective way to change your interactions and relationships. You will be viewed as a positive, constructive, helpful, and dependable person. People will think you are more perceptive, attentive, and understanding.

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Bruce Kasanoff is a social media ghostwriter for entrepreneurs.