Grounded in Service
I’m a big believer in how the start of our day effects our experience throughout the day. While as a parent, I also know that the start of the day is often the most insane series of events to get the kid(s) fed, dressed and out the door on time all the while getting yourself fed, dressed and out the door on time. It is often an impossible high-speed juggling act to ensure start-of-the-day well being so that your precious child arrives to school untraumatized, happy and with the right nutrients digesting in their little tummies to feed their brain for optimal learning. And no matter how good you are at planning ahead (and I am REALLY GOOD at planning ahead), the insanity starts over each day at approximately 7:15am (in my house).
Nonetheless, there are still micro-moments of opportunity to interject some intentional thought and heartfelt desires into the day. A ritual that I live by, even if I only get 2 minutes to do it, is to wake up (but lay in bed a few more minutes), say thank you and ask “how can I serve today?” And let me tell you, that question is answered almost immediately from the dogs whining to be let out, to my kid calling me for a morning snuggle before she is willing to be shuttled through the morning routine. By the time I sit at my desk to work, I take a moment to ask that same question and usually have a bit more space to really sit with it. Often there is no abrupt answer slapping me in the face like my morning inquiry. But there is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and energy that arrives which carries me through the day as I manage my portfolio of global clients and career coaching students.
Granted not all of my work is creative and fun. Some days my work is very technical and requires hours of sitting and looking at spreadsheets and data, some days I am navigating difficult conversations about missed deadlines, budget reductions or managing low performing teams. Yet still, starting the day with the intention to serve where I am needed brings my best self the table and I find a sustained amount of energy after I’ve completed my work for the day.
As a side note, working from this level of attention and service (in this day of optimization and AI) may seem inefficient. Why even pursue a service-based career at all when you can spit out a PDF or previously recorded online seminar and charge for it without lifting another finger? Why not whip up an online course once and spit it all over the internet only to automate all the follow up, feedback, payment processing and the opportunity to truly make an impact?
Because to me, this is not how I serve and this is not how I want to be served as a customer or student. Maybe I’m old school or as my husband puts it, “analog”, but maybe this is where AI cannot compete. The simple thing I know about humans and small business owners and even bosses, managers and leaders- is that we need each other. We need human to human contact. We know when we are the presence of someone who gives us their full presence. To be able to only optimize my service operations just enough but to keep the personal touch, the hand-holding if necessary and in-person follow up is, in my opinion, how I intend to keep serving.
