I remember spending days crippled by the thought of how much people there are to help, how much I can do about it, and how I am not actually doing anything about it. It felt selfish to be able to go on with my life, while others were in pain. It was impossible to want better for myself, when others did not even have the basic needs. I was stuck.

Having shelter, while others had no place to stay over for the night, felt bad because I knew I could at least give them a place to stay for the night. I knew I could help but I did not.

One factor that my younger self missed then, was my limited ability. Having people I did not know sleep-over will harm me: I will run out of place to host, I did not have a house of my own, I did not know how people’s behaviors could affect me or even if someone could physically harm me.

Giving people something that I only have enough for myself of, will not only drain me, but it will also limit my ability to give more of it. We can’t help by eliminating any further chances of us giving that help. This would not only make us miserable, but would also prevent the world from receiving the potential help we had for it.

If it’s really about helping people (as opposed to just feeling good about ourselves), we are really most useful by helping where we are most effective. I am helpful by being better at what I like to do, this is what I have abundance of. I am helpful by leading initiatives to help my community in what I do best. I was not a homeless shelter owner nor can I dedicate time to be one, and hence I could not provide overnight-sleeping for homeless people. I am, however, many other useful things to myself, my family, and my community.

The hard part is accepting our weakness, and realizing that whatever resources we have are most effectively used to help us. Our efforts in what we are not good at are futile, and at best, present no use to anyone, but usually extend to harming us and the people we are trying to help.