Anybody who succeeds is helping people. The secret to success is

The words of Robert H. Schuller—“Anybody who succeeds is helping people. The secret to success is find a need and fill it; find a hurt and heal it; find a problem and solve it.”—resound like a call from the mountaintop. In them lies not only practical wisdom, but also a profound vision of what it means to live a life of purpose. Too often men think of success as treasure hoarded, as power seized, as glory carved upon the tablets of history. Yet Schuller reminds us that true greatness is not measured by what one takes, but by what one gives. To succeed is to serve; to rise is to lift others.

The ancients understood this truth, though they spoke it in their own way. Marcus Aurelius, emperor and philosopher, declared that what is not good for the beehive cannot be good for the bee. The one who seeks greatness for himself alone builds a fragile kingdom, but the one who strengthens his people, who binds their wounds and answers their needs, builds something enduring. In this spirit Schuller speaks: to heal, to serve, to solve—this is the royal road to success.

Let us consider the life of Florence Nightingale, the “Lady with the Lamp.” She did not chase after riches or titles. Instead, she found a hurt in the suffering of soldiers, lying broken in the filth of war hospitals, abandoned by a system that failed them. She stepped into that place of pain, bringing light, cleanliness, compassion, and knowledge. In healing their hurt, she not only saved lives but transformed the practice of nursing forever. Her success was not born of conquest or wealth, but of service—the eternal kind that history reveres.

The pattern repeats across the ages. Thomas Edison did not invent the electric light merely to satisfy his own curiosity. He saw a need—the longing of mankind for light after sundown, for freedom from the tyranny of the dark. By filling that need, he transformed human life, extending the hours of productivity, safety, and leisure. His lamp was not just invention; it was compassion made practical, answering a yearning as old as humanity itself. Thus Schuller’s words prove true: every lasting success rests upon the foundation of service.

What then, is the path for us, the seekers who live in this present age? We must open our eyes, not only to our own hunger but to the hunger of others. Where there is a need, we must strive to fill it. Where there is a hurt, we must dare to bring healing. Where there is a problem, we must rise in courage to solve it. To do so is not only to enrich others, but to enrich ourselves, for in service lies fulfillment, and in compassion lies strength.

This path requires both vision and humility. Vision to see beyond one’s own narrow circle, to discern the cries of the world; humility to accept that greatness is not measured in applause, but in lives touched. One must cultivate the habit of asking: Who is in pain near me? What burden can I lift? What gap can I fill? In answering these questions with action, the seed of true success begins to sprout.

The lesson, then, is clear: do not chase after success as though it were a phantom. Instead, chase after service, and success will follow as a faithful companion. Train your heart to listen, your eyes to see, your hands to work. Begin small if you must—comfort a friend, solve a minor problem, lend your strength to another’s weakness. In time, these acts weave together into a life that resounds with meaning, a legacy that cannot be destroyed.

So let the wisdom of Schuller echo within you: to succeed is to serve. Let your life be a lamp that lights the darkness of another. Fill the needs you see, heal the hurts you find, solve the problems you encounter. Do this with courage and with love, and your life will not only shine—it will become part of the eternal song of those who lifted humanity higher.