Turning One's Life Around

I had found a kind of serenity, a new maturity... I didn't feel better or stronger than anyone else but it seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not - more important now was for me to love them. Feeling that way turns your whole life around; living becomes the act of giving.  ~ Beverly Sills

-  How did Sills turn her whole life around and achieve a new serenity?
-  How can this perspective enhance one's life?
- What is an important lesson you have learned in your ongoing maturity?