When You Choose-Daily Meditation 1.13.23
Today’s quotation:
When you choose to be of service to others, you gain the courage and sense of determination that will fuel your efforts. With a solid vision in place, you also become less concerned with your individual fear or self-doubt and more committed to taking the actions that will support your more significant vision.-Cheryl Richardson
Today’s Meditation:
Service is a choice that we make, obviously. We decide whether we’re going to devote ourselves to activities and efforts that serve others or those that serve ourselves. It’s understandable when we choose to serve ourselves–even necessary in many ways. But it’s also essential that we focus our efforts on activities that serve others, for when we choose to do so, we enrich our lives immensely.
Our service doesn’t need to be all or nothing. We don’t all need to be Albert Schweitzers to be of service to our fellow human beings. When I chose to be a teacher, I decided to be of service to others while still earning a living for myself and my family. I earn less than I would in other jobs, but I don’t suffer from a lack of money. And the lower amounts of money that I earn are definitely compensated for by the fulfillment I feel when I help students learn new things and empower themselves in new ways.
We can serve others in many, many ways. We can give encouragement and compliments; we can help with grocery bills. We can teach–about finances, housekeeping, maintaining things we own, about relationships. When we serve others, we’re fulfilling the highest calling of the human being–the improvement of our species, without worrying about how we will be paid back. Service can be simple and wonderful as long as we don’t ruin our service with expectations of receiving something in return for our service.
Think about it–can you come up with five ways to serve other people today? If you can, try to take action on them, and you’ll find that your day becomes beautiful.
Questions to consider:
Why is it so easy to get caught up in serving ourselves rather than others?
What does it mean to serve others without any expectation of return?
What are some of the possible benefits of serving others?
For further thought:
Giving kids clothes and food is one thing, but it’s much more important to teach them that other people besides themselves are important and that the best thing they can do with their lives is to use them in the service of other people.-Dolores Huerta
If you missed yesterday’s Daily Meditation, you can find it here.
