( CNN ) -- This world is a busy place with billions of people and billions of things to achieve and experience . It 's easy to live a lifetime without knowing the feeling of helping others . But can you really blame people for making a way for themselves and not others ? That 's the message you get from birth : `` Go after your dreams and do n't let anything or anyone keep you from it . '' I hear people ask : `` What 's in it for me ? '' or `` Why should I help you , or them ? '' Could it be that they were never taught the importance of helping others or know how much they could gain from it themselves ? For me it was n't someone , but more something , that made me realize the importance of helping others . It was simply visiting a place that some have never visited before -- and fighting for my life . After sustaining burn injuries while serving in the Army in Iraq in 2003 at 19 years old , I asked myself a notebook full of questions . The main one was : `` Why did this happen to me , and what am I going to do with it ? '' As I carried on with my recovery , I waited for that answer . About six months after I was burned , I was asked to visit a young man in the same position as me . He was in the early stages of his recovery and had n't been as physically injured as I was . Growing up , I was n't as connected to helping other people because too much was catching my attention , typical teenage things like football and girls . Needless to say , walking into that young man 's room when I was 20 and visiting him gave me more than any other experience ever gave me . It opened my eyes to a true purpose . I learned that I was able to have an impact on others and help them avoid the difficulties and challenges I faced in order to learn the many things I have learned . I do not regret what happened to me on April 5 , 2003 , because it has brought me to a special place and has given me so much from which to grow . I know I have so much more to experience and learn . I am living the America Dream , and that is being able to dream and make it a reality . Others do not have this opportunity because of a disruptive childhood , abusive relationships or limited resources . I went from fighting for my life to helping inspire others to fight for their own . I have had the honor of sharing my own life experiences with audiences throughout the world , and it has been a whirlwind . However , being able to hear others ' stories and meet people who share the name `` Hero '' with me is even more amazing . I had the unbelievable honor to meet great people over the years , and most recently , at the CNN Hero Awards show in Los Angeles . I attended the show to support my friend Dan Wallrath , founder of Operation Finally Home , which provides custom-made homes to wounded and disabled veterans and the widows of the fallen in an effort to get their lives back on track and become productive members of their communities . He is a hero to many people . He did n't know much about the troops , but he knew how to build homes and wanted to give the troops what had been given to him and his family : hope , life , respect , acknowledgement and opportunity . Witnessing him being honored and also meeting nine other heroes that night motivated me to continue the fight to give to others . So , ask yourself this question : Will you be someone 's hero ? If you reply yes , but do n't know where to start , do as my friend Paul Rieckhoff , the executive director and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , suggests . `` Instead of asking the question , 'What can I can do ? ' The real question is , 'What do you do best ? ' `` The more heroes we have , the better off our world will be . All of us can have an unimaginable effect on one person with the simple concept of making him or her feel cared for , appreciated and that they matter . Most important , you will learn far more than you ever expected , and that is what 's in it for you . The opinions in this commentary are solely those of J.R. Martinez .
J.R. Martinez was severely burned while serving as a soldier in Iraq at 19 . During recovery , he helped another young man in the same situation , which changed his life . People do n't understand that the feeling of helping others is `` what 's in it for them '' To start helping others , do what you do best , make them feel appreciated , Martinez says .