Service To Others

I recently participated in a program at my church called CRHP. Since this blog is not about religion, I will not go into the spiritual details of the program, but I was fortunate to spend six months as part of a committee planning a weekend retreat for others in our parish. The team of men who made up "CRHP 25" were some of the finest people I have ever met in my life.

We all came from different social, economic and ethnic backgrounds and our ages varied from twenty-something to sixty-something. Some are wealthy (very wealthy) while others struggle with financial issues.... and we all had had different political views. Not only were our differences not discussed, they were never an issue.

What brought us together was the common goal of planning this retreat and the desire to serve others. Through this experience I discovered that when you do not focus on "what do you do for a living", and other such trivial questions, you discover that we have more in common with our fellow man than we might otherwise think. No matter what you do for a living, or how successful you appear to be, everyone faces problems at some time in their life. Yet sometimes our attention is just focused so strongly on our own issues we forget that we are just people.

This past weekend I heard many phenomenal talks from amazing people. The messages that were shared were things that effect not only the spiritual side of life, but also impact our business and personal worlds. One of my friends, Chris Raeder, eloquently delivered a message that contained three points from which everyone can benefit (again, these apply to every area of you life, but I will focus on business):

1. Unconditional Love. Regardless of what you do for a living, you will benefit from having passion about your family and your career. If you love what you do (and whom you do it for) the results will be spectacular. It will never feel like work, but instead it will just be part of who you are as a person.
2. Forgiveness. Unless you are a hermit, you will encounter other human beings, and thus there will always be situations where someone will do you wrong. It could be a co-worker, a boss, a family member, a competitor, a client, etc.... Whatever the case, if you spend too much time dwelling on the "wrong doer" you will waste your energy. If you can forgive the other person, you will be able to focus your attention on growing your business and other beneficial tasks.
3. Service to Others. Dedicate your actions to your family, your clients, co-workers and/or humanity-at-large. While selfish people can certainly succeed financially, if you are not finding some manner to serve others, then it can be very lonely at the top. Your reasons for doing what you do every day should be dedicated to others. Provide your clients with the best products and services. Your successes will be more rewarding when you know that you make a difference in the lives of those around you.

In your professional, personal and spiritual life if you never stray from "unconditional love, forgiveness and service to others" then the world will be your oyster.

Have A Great Day.

Thom Singer

www.thomsinger.com