Life story time.. I will cover this:

Enlightened self-interest is a philosophy in ethics which states that persons who act to further the interests of others (or the interests of the group or groups to which they belong), ultimately serve their own self-interest.

There once was a former Marine, whom left wars behind and headed home to be part of the family business; the business of working in the trades (painting, drywall, framing etc). He did not do this as he was without options, higher education, degrees or opportunities to be a successful in more "professional areas of expertise". He did it because he was his fathers only son, and it was his job to put his self interest on the back burner and just do the right thing.

You see, this young mans father was suffering from a terminal illness and his only son came home to help him run his business so he could sustain himself as it was his duty. It's how children are supposed to care for their parents. So there he was each day, in the cold, in the rain, in the blistering Florida heat, with his painters whites climbing ladders, with his hammer building walls, and with his screw gun hanging drywall. To most he looked like your typical educationally lacking destined to be a forever low income earning laborer.

But on a particular job, on a particular day, with a particular customer this young man learned what type of individual you need to be if you desire true wealth. You see, this customer was an extraordinarily wealthy Florida real estate mogul in his late 60's, multi millionaire a few times over, residence in Trump tower, wife 20 years his junior etc. The young laborer made the mistake of trying to measure the mans character based upon his outward appearances and simply wrote him off as some rich prick. It's easier to be hateful of others successes even though that hate stems from envy. This young man made the same mistake that aggravated him so, when others did the same to him; judging him not on his intellectual abilities and character but on the stained painters whites he wore to work each day.

On this particular day, while the younger man was painting the rich mans house the older man came outside with his own paintbrush and started helping. This was a very odd occurrence as he certainly did not need to and it conflicted with the young laborers self held views of the wealthy elite. A conversation was started between the two as they both began to work together. The younger man learned that the wealthy man was an Army veteran, a once farm helper, dairy hand, fast food worker, and sign holder for road works. It turned out he was a regular guy and self made millionaire that came from poverty himself.

The two established a friendship and saw each other as men irrespective of profession. The rich man actually took the time to know this laborer, understand why he was doing what he was doing and measure him based upon his character, abilities and accomplishments rather than the paint brush in his hand. He told this young man that the quickest way to success is to always try and help others achieve your level, always be reaching down to help them up, never step on top of them to gain a higher position. He told this young man that "there are enough animals in the jungle for every lion to eat and be full" (there is enough money for everyone, no need to be greedy.).

That young man was "me", and I learned much from my friend David. He introduced me to real estate opportunities I would of never came across without him and I did well. I in turn brought him customers, contractors and street level information he would of likewise never came across that made him even wealthier.

You see because he helped me, I wanted to help him. He helped me acquire a certain degree of wealth and I in turn felt compelled to help him in return. That is the basis of the quoted text. That is how I live now, and how I see @cryptographic acting by upvoting others lesser than him on the platform. It's why I took the time to comment as he has been generous to me and I feel compelled to provide him an excellent comment on his article. It is why I do many of the philanthropic things that I do, and why I will eventually give away nearly $200,000 in Steem. It's helping others to achieve your level that truly makes you successful. Never judge a book by its cover and always get to know someone before writing them off.