This week, our two annual Formax showcases took place (www.formax.qc.ca). Sixteen of our speakersspoke to attentive and interested customers.

Tous étaient motivants et pertinents, mais un fait m’a marqué. Parmi ceux-ci, trois d’entre eux ont terminé leur présentation en affirmant que leur plus grande satisfaction personnelle provenait du fait de pouvoir « redonner aux autres et aider les autres ».

If, like me, you have studied Maslow's pyramid, you will remember that at the top of the pyramid of human concerns is the giving of oneself, giving back to others. Of course, as Maslow points out, for man to feel so detached from his primary concerns (food and shelter), he must have reached a certain level of personal achievement.

This is obviously the case for our three protagonists, who are: Christiane Germain, co-founder of Groupe Germain, Jean Bédard, president of Groupe Sportscene (La Cage) and Jean-François Caron, seven-time Canadian strength athlete champion.

All three have obviously reached very high levels of self-realisation. However, even without being on the level of these three people, we can all say that it feels as good, if not better, to give than to receive. The gift can be material (an object), emotional (a smile, a compliment), in time (getting involved in a cause, volunteering). No matter what, it is always a pleasure to give.

Récemment, ma conjointe et moi avons décidé de nous impliquer dans une nouvelle cause. Ça s’appelle Vivacia (www.vivacia.org). Pas que ce soit la seule cause; Dieu sait à quel point nous avons aidé (surtout ma femme) nos proches à se sortir de situations difficiles. J’avoue que même si parfois, à force d’aider, la fatigue se fait sentir un peu, la satisfaction « d’aider notre prochain » est plus grande que la fatigue occasionnelle.

From my point of view, I believe that we live in an era of unprecedented volunteerism, self-help and self-giving. If you look around, you will see volunteers everywhere: in hospitals, in marathons and cycling tours, in cancer walks, in Operation Red Nose... and so on. I am sure that all these people have a lot of fun and that their actions fill them with joy.

I don't know where you are in your life? Do you have any free time? Do you use it to complain or mope? If so, try giving of yourself. You will surely experience beautiful moments of personal satisfaction and so will those around you.

I tell you, happiness is in the giving!