Freely given service to others is usually not so much self-sacrifice but, rather, self-renewal through sharing.

We have probably all heard it said that we gain our lives by losing them.  What does this mean?  Well, whatever else it may mean, it suggests that we receive a sense of renewal and purpose if we give up our self-centered brooding about what isn't the way we would like it to be and focus at least part of our time on voluntarily serving the needs of others without any expectation of payback of any sort from anybody.