Have you ever noticed that many people you hear from each day want something from you?

They want your money.

They want you to listen to them.

They want, they want and they want.

Often times, people will pretend to be your friend, when in fact, an ulterior motive is at play. You realize later that, no – they really don’t care about you, but in fact, need something from you.

Con artists are experts at this. There may be a little “con artist” in all of us, whether we are consciously aware of it or not.

The lack of sincerity is at an all-time high.

A few questions stem from this observation.

Can human beings be blamed for taking a self-centered approach, especially now, in a world where it’s every man and woman for him or herself?

And, perhaps more importantly, can we find it within ourselves to forgive?

Because, after all, are we not all using each other – for something?

We use people to get love.

To get employment.

To get anything we want.

The story goes that Steve Jobs led his life this way – using people to further his grandiose plans for a corporate empire. Once successfully used, people were quickly discarded.

But what if we chose to be 100 per cent sincere in our support, appreciation and kindness towards other people?

Sincere empathy may in fact be the rarest thing on the planet.

I made a focused effort recently to release my mind of the things I wanted from people. I called up old clients, just to see how they were doing and made it clear that I was not calling to get any business.

They were in shock.

Who does that? Who has time for it?

Sincere caring is such a rare commodity in today’s self-centered world, it serves as a potent relationship, brand and character builder.

Its power goes beyond what we can imagine.

Most fascinating to me is what the expression of sincerity can do for those of us who practice it.

We feel good.

We are given a greater purpose beyond the usual pursuit of materialistic things.

To serve is to become fulfilled.

This coming holiday season, the greatest gift you can give anyone is your time – your sincere expression of support to another human being without wanting or expecting anything in return.

About the painting: You can feel the friendship between the two girls in this beautiful painting called “Fishing for Frogs” by French painter William Adolphe Bouguereau. The 1882 masterpiece sold last year at a Dallas auction for almost $2 million. Bouguereau, who concentrated almost exclusively on females in his realistic photo-like paintings, died in 1905. His brilliant work is overshadowed by the works of impressionist painters who came after him, such as Monet and Picasso.