Sometimes, helping others is a great distraction from the co-called problems of life and a great antidote to selfishness.
This is the entry-level of service, however.
It's possible to get stuck there, and, years later, still hold the position that life is difficult, there are lots of problems, and I'm still basically self-centred, but, hey, at least I have newcomers to call. This is good as far as it goes, but it's not necessarily great for the newcomers: if there's an internal problem, they'll know. We're still carrying the mess even though we think we're carrying the message.
The next level is being fine with life but struggling with sponsees (because, let's face it, the job is difficult and it takes a long while to get the hang of handling people who aren't very well). Here, the internal problem actually arises the moment the phone rings and disappears the moment you put the phone down. At precisely the moment the resolution of the internal problem needs to shine through to others, that resolution is obscured, like a cloud passing the sun. Suboptimal sponsorship is better than no sponsorship, but the good is the enemy of the best.
The best is to perceive that life is not difficult, there are no problems because God's got it covered, and all I have to do is ask for my role and get on with it, both outside the sponsorship relationship and within it.
From that position of abundance, that abundance overflows into the lives of those around me, including those I sponsor, like an overflowing fountain.
From that position of abundance, I need nothing, eliminating selfishness, so I can devote myself entirely to helping others.
Helping others is not a distraction from a jagged life but is life.