While it may be easier to do something for someone else rather than take the time to show them how to do it, it doesn’t truly help them in the long run. If you take the time to teach someone how to do it for themselves, they gain mastery of it and they aren’t dependent on you or anyone else for help.
Think about this concept in your personal life. I would rather teach someone I care about how to do something for themselves. This isn’t because I don’t want to be bothered doing something for them – it’s actually quite the opposite. I would rather invest the time in teaching them, so that they can learn the basics and then fine tune it to their preferences or style. I want them to feel good about themselves learning how to do it, feel autonomous and gain confidence in whatever skill it is I teach them. The payoff for me is feeling good about teaching someone something that they can now use in the future to help or provide for themselves.
In what areas of your life are you giving someone a fish rather than teaching them how to fish? How can you begin to take steps to teach them instead?
