There are many ways to live and work. Some people aim to serve something greater than themselves. They may aim to serve their loved ones, a spiritual faith, a purpose, a vocation or something they believe in.
Such people often feel alive when following this path. Some may also go into a state of flow. Their sense of self disappears but it emerges stronger later.
Some may find themselves to be fully present. They have a sense of purpose, follow their principles and work towards achieving a picture of success.
Such people may be doing something relatively small – such as making a cup of tea for a loved one. But the greater purpose is to show love and care for the person.
Such people may sometimes be contributing to something bigger. They may be aiming to inspire students, find a medical cure, build a better society or do something practical to encourage present or future generations.
Imagine you want to follow this approach in your own way. This can involve focusing on the following steps.
You Can Find Something
You Want To Serve
When do you feel that you are serving something greater than yourself? This could be in your personal or professional life. Here are some things that people may mention.
I feel I am serving something greater than myself:
When I am encouraging people … When I am aiming to create something beautiful … When I am working as a nurse … When I am gardening … When I am working as a reporter and trying to uncover the truth.
When I am playing music … When I am designing buildings … When I am helping people to find solutions to conflicts … When I am passing on knowledge to people … When I am helping people to achieve their goals.
Let’s return to your own life and work. If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme.
Describe a specific activity where you feel you are serving something greater than yourself.
Describe the specific things you are doing then when pursuing this activity.
Describe the specific things that may sometimes happen as a result of taking these steps.
You Can Clarify The Theme
In What You Want To Serve
Imagine you have described a specific activity where you are serving something greater than yourself. Can you see a theme in the activity? Different people may serve different themes.
A person may focus on helping others, healing, creating beauty, fixing certain kinds of problems, orchestrating people’s efforts or passing on knowledge. They may be aiming to care for people or the planet.
Looking at my own life, for example, I have aimed to serve the theme of encouragement. This stems from when I began working with people. As part of the learning, I asked people:
What has helped you to grow most in your life?
Many people described their parents, teachers and other people who had helped them. They said:
“I had somebody who encouraged me. They built on what I did well and encouraged me to do it more. They also offered practical suggestions about how to deal with challenging situations.”
People who work in the service business often follow this approach. They aim to use their strengths to do superb work and help other people to achieve success. One of my mentors expressed this in the following way.
“It is always about the other person, it is not about you. It is about helping them to feel safe and explore their options for going forwards. It is then about helping them to achieve their picture of success.”
Let’s return to your own life and work. Can you see a theme in the activity where you are serving something greater than yourself?
If so, what may be the reasons you believe in following this theme? What may be the specific benefits that it may produce for other people or yourself?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this topic. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
You Can Continue To Serve
Something Greater Than Yourself
Imagine that you have clarified a specific activity where you are serving something greater than yourself. How can you continue to translate this into action?
Much will depend, of course, on the theme you aim to pursue. You may aim to help people, pass on knowledge, find solutions to certain challenges or do another activity.
Looking ahead, what do you see as the pluses and minuses of pursuing your chosen path. How can you build on the pluses and manage the consequences of any minuses?
The pluses may be that you feel alive, help other people and do superb work. How can you build on these and make sure that you care for both yourself and other people?
The minuses can be that you may neglect certain aspects of your personal or professional life. How can you do your best to manage these consequences in a way that helps yourself or other people?
There are many ways to live and work. One approach is to serve something greater than yourself. This can lead to having a sense of purpose and doing your best during your time on the planet.
If you wish, try tackling the final exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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