Simon Sinek had a friend.
One of those people who seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, and on this particular day, it felt like the weight might break her.
She was a solopreneur — doing it all on her own — and it wasn’t going well.
Her work was floundering, her marriage was stretched thin, and her confidence?
Hanging by a thread.
She called Simon, needing someone, anyone, to see her, to say the words she couldn’t find herself.
So, every week, she’d come to him.
They’d talk — the kind of talks that last too long but don’t seem long enough.
Simon would offer ideas, something to give her that small moment of reprieve, that little flicker of light.
She’d feel better for a day, maybe two.
But life has this way of setting us back into the ruts we know best.
So, next week, they’d start again.
Then Simon got an idea.
Not the kind that comes from a place of pity or charity, but something real, something he hoped might reach her.
What if, he thought, she could be the one to help?
So he called her up, said, “Listen, I could use some guidance myself.
Could I lean on you for a bit?”
And somehow, this small change turned things around.
Week after week, she’d sit with him, listening, advising him.
And in giving him her help, she began to see her own life from the edges, like looking into someone else’s window.
Little by little, things started shifting for her, too — her work, her marriage, that forgotten feeling of confidence inching its way back.
Funny thing, Simon thought later: sometimes, when we’re lost, helping someone else find their way is what brings us home.
When life feels heavy, when we’re caught in our own storms, the instinct is often to retreat, to hold everything close, like that will somehow keep us safe.
But here’s the truth: real growth — real healing — comes from reaching beyond ourselves.
It’s counterintuitive, I know.
The very moment we feel like we have nothing to give, giving is exactly what we need.
In helping someone else, we gain perspective, clarity, and a sense of purpose.
The struggles we face feel lighter, more manageable.
Because when we guide others, we end up seeing parts of ourselves we’d forgotten or overlooked.
So, if you’re feeling lost, find someone else to lift up.
Turn outward, give what little light you have, and watch how it begins to illuminate your own path forward.
Service, in the end, is the road back to ourselves.
This post was inspired by Simon Sinek's video, Solve Problems Through Service.