The Selfish Joy of Service
Photo of Tech Nick @technick_inc
WE ALL HAVE OUR DEMONS.
Some call them inner challenges, “the work we need to do”, tests from the universe, the shadow self… whatever.
Sometime last week, I saw a video where Tom Hanks shared something he learned in life. Something he wished he’d known when he was younger. He said, “This too shall pass. If your life is going great, just wait … this too shall pass. If your life is going badly, just wait … this too shall pass.”
The idea gives rise to the temporary nature of everything including victimhood, which does not have to be a static way of being.
Having said that, I’m personally not all that fond of these challenges, but I find appreciation in them. The reminder I take away is when I’m focused on myself, I’m more likely to be victimized by something.
Do you notice that too?
“Our Fundamental of the Week is Service is Exponential, and that’s all about living in the world of Other, which is a way of replacing your point of view with the person you’re interacting with.” It’s an opportunity to put your concerns on hold while you put your metaphorical feet in the shoes of anOTHER. When I first learned about it, it seemed like “the right thing to do” or “listening generously” or some version of sacrifice for the greater good. Now I see it as a path to freedom from the ego - freedom from me and all the little self-centered things that tend to leave me feeling unfulfilled.
Is this relatable?
I got to feed a baby this morning. She’s a gorgeous little angel I didn’t know existed until today so it was an unexpected joy, but it came about as my friend (the new mom) was opening her coffee shop by herself with her 6-week-old daughter in tow. She needed help and of course, I wanted to take that little newborn off her hands so she could get the coffee and pastries going.
It was an easy decision to make and being trusted with her greatest treasure was pretty cool in itself. When Baby Evelyn got fussy and I got to feed her until she fell asleep, I was in heaven, fighting off tears of joy and it was completely selfish. Plus, my friend got to get ready for a busy Saturday morning. A Win-Win situation. It was a selfish pleasure, but my focus was on someone else, so it really worked out. We could call our Fundamental of the Week Service is Selfish, but we probably won’t be doing that
I remember reading an early Facebook post, “ … cooking bacon without a shirt demonstrates a low sense of self-preservation.” It got me thinking about the concept of self-preservation, so I went down the rabbit hole and was able to talk myself into a theory that if I do enough good deeds I could warrant thinking of myself first sometimes because I was such a servant to the world. I’m still teetering on that between possible truth and possible bullshit.
Either way, I’m pretty happy I was able to be of service to my friend, her baby, and, myself.
Fundamental of the Week #8: SERVICE IS EXPONENTIAL
We are in business to make a difference wherever we touch lives – with clients, each other and our communities. We serve the greater good by helping people have more satisfying, productive interactions, and that service has an exponential effect.
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