In Service Of…

We often hear phrases like:

• In service of…
• Servant leadership
• How can I be of service?

Implicit in these phrases is service of someone or some mission outside ourselves. While that’s accurate; it’s only part of the story. It ignores the fact that in serving others, we serve ourselves as well.

Service’s dual benefit

In serving others, in providing something to enrich their lives, we also improve ours. We all feel better about ourselves when we help someone:

• Solve a problem.
• See a path to getting what they desire.
• Believe in themselves, when they doubt themselves.
• Encourage them during their darkest hours.
• By holding them in their moment of grief.
• By providing a safe place to vent their frustration.

Who among us, upon successfully serving others, doesn’t feel that:

• We have value.
• Our lives have purpose.
• We are appreciated.
• We can have a positive effect every day.

When we graciously expend effort to help others, we automatically help ourselves. That’s why gifts of service afford us dual benefits.

Avoidance benefits

In addition to the benefits listed above, when we serve others, we avoid becoming egocentric. We can’t effectively serve others while focused on our needs, our interests, our frustrations. We experience our greatest pain, whether physical, emotional or psychological pain, when we are egocentric.

I’m certain that each of you has had this experience. You were in a lot of pain when someone needed your help. During your attempt to help them, you completely forgot your pain. It wasn’t until you’d finished serving them that you once again became aware of the pain you were experiencing. Even then, the pain didn’t seem as severe because you were basking in the glow of having had a positive impact on someone’s life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” The word I find most intriguing in this quote is “try.” The mere fact that we tried, even if we weren’t successful, gives us a sense that we’re someone who cares enough to try…therefore, someone of value.

Takeaways

Begin each day committing yourself to leaving everyone you meet better off than when you met. In other words, commit to being in service of all whom you meet and you’ll enjoy a rich, fulfilled life every day of your life.

At the end of the day, review your day twice. During the first review recall all the times when you did help others and recall the joy you felt in doing so. It’ll encourage to continue being in service of others.

During the second review, recall the instances when you may have missed an opportunity to serve others and think about how you might be able to serve when a similar situation arises. That way you’re preparing your mind to deal with a broader array of opportunities to serve. Do not beat yourself up over missed opportunities, learn from them.

If you’ve found this post helpful, please share it with your friends. It’s a great way to let them know how much you care.

If you’d like the leaders in your organization to learn how to use the numbers more effectively and dramatically improve the productivity of your workforce, contact me to learn more about these resources:

Resources

Making the EXCEPTIONAL Normal program helps you identify and nurture emerging leaders who elevate all around them to higher levels of performance and greater job enjoyment.

Financial Awareness & Strategy program where employees learn to identify opportunities to improve financial results and prioritize these opportunities on the basis of which produces the greatest impact with the least effort. Greater financial awareness = Better decisions.