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

All were motivating and relevant, but one fact stood out for me. Three of them ended their presentation by saying that their greatest personal satisfaction came from being able to “give back to others and help others”.

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.

Recently, my wife and I decided to get involved in a new cause. It’s called Vivacia (www.vivacia.org). Not that it’s the only cause; God knows how much we’ve helped our loved ones (especially my wife) out of difficult situations. I have to admit that even if sometimes, after helping so much, we get a bit tired, the satisfaction of “helping our fellow man” is greater than the occasional fatigue.

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!