Quote:
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Question:
If I keep doing what I’m doing today, will I be the person I want to be by the end of the year?
Thought:
Recently, while traveling to San Diego, California, I decided to do an experiment and during my experiment, I discovered how service shapes personal growth in ways I never expected. I decided to look for the struggles around me. I wanted to see how the challenges throughout my day shaped my thoughts. I thought for sure that I would see how hard life really is, notice how many problems can accumulate in a day and go to bed that night with thoughts of sadness and despair.
However, instead of finding obstacles, sadness and suffering, I found myself in many situations able to serve those around me. I realized that while I might not be able to do much, I could do whatever I could to help someone else. This little experiment of focusing on the difficulties around me, gave me an opportunity to make intentional decisions. Wherever I was, I could choose to watch struggles from a distance and walk away and think, “ I’m glad I dodged that bullet!” Or, I could choose to step in, lend a hand and lighten someone’s load.
Experiments of Small Acts of Service
At the airport, a frenzied mother struggled to push a stroller, comfort a crying child, and carry multiple bags through the terminal. I offered a helping hand and, with a sigh of relief, she gratefully accepted.
Sometimes all we need to do is offer a lending hand.
The Uber driver sat silently as he drove me to my destination. Although I enjoyed the silence and the ability to gather my thoughts for an upcoming speech, I could see that something was on his mind. I asked him how his day was going. The single question sparked an in-depth conversation that lasted the duration of the 45-minute drive to the hotel. He shared how he was far away from his family, trying to make money, so that they could come to where he was. He was alone in this big city. As we pulled up to the front of the hotel, he glanced into his rearview mirror where his gaze met mine. “Thank you”, he said, with a smile and a glint of tears in his eyes. I asked him why he was thanking me. “Today is my birthday, and this was an unexpected gift.” Tears began to fill in my eyes. I stepped out of the car. He opened the trunk and handed me my suitcase and drove away. This Uber drivers gratitude reminded me how small acts of service shape our personal growth and connection with others.
Sometimes all that we need to do is ask a simple question.
Acts of Service Require Action
I had a few hours before my speech would begin so I thought it would be nice to go for a run along the coast. I dropped my bags off in my hotel room, changed my clothes, and headed out the door. After running for about 20 minutes, and being captivated by the crashing waves on the sandy beach off of the cliffs about 100 feet below, I noticed something in the water. It appeared to be someone on a WaveRunner with a bucket in the water next to them. They were so far away that I couldn’t see clearly. I thought nothing of it and continued to run.
A few minutes later, I glanced back into the water. I noticed the same person on a WaveRunner, only now I could see that it wasn’t a bucket in the water, but another WaveRunner that had tipped over and another individual was trying to drag it to shore! They were desperately struggling against the waves. Not knowing what I could do or how I could help, I looked around to see if someone would go down to the empty beach below and bring relief to these people. Instead, I saw crowds of people, stopping, pointing and discussing with others the scene that was taking place in front of them. They were pulling out their cameras, but no one was taking action.
Like a scene from a movie, I could see the swimmers were struggling to make it to shore. I hadn’t brought my phone with me on my run, so I couldn’t call for help and I could see that no one was attempting to take action. A few moments earlier I had seen a narrow path close by that led down to the beach. I ran towards it and made my way down the steep rocky terrain to these struggling individuals. I took off my shoes and socks and sprinted into the water. A woman was on the WaveRunner and had made it to a point where she could possibly touch the ground. The waves were crashing into her with extreme force and the weight of the WaveRunner was making it a very dangerous situation.
Together, we pulled the WaveRunner onto the beach. The waves were literally breaking the small watercraft apart piece by piece. This woman emotionally told me how they both ran out of gas and her husband was struggling to pull the other WaveRunner to shore.
We both ran back into the ocean to help him flip the WaveRunner back over and pull it onto shore. The man literally crawled onto the beach and collapsed from exhaustion and his wife attended to him.
I looked up that hundred foot cliff and saw crowds of people looking and filming but doing nothing. Someone yelled down asking if they were OK. I yelled back that I didn’t have my phone and someone should call 911. Within minutes, the street was filled with firetrucks, paramedics and police officers. I think they actually brought in search and rescue as well.
Once the couple was in good hands, I hiked my way back up that cliff and made it to my room just in time to head to my speech.
Sometimes all that we need to do is take immediate action.
Listening Strengthens Personal Connections
Following my speech a woman came up to me with tears in her eyes, telling me a tragic story about her son and the struggles he’s faced in his life. In that moment, all I could do was open my arms and embrace her as she cried. Her struggle is deep.
Sometimes the best thing we can do is simply listen.
This experiment was filled with struggles, obstacles, and challenges. There were many more stories that I could share with you from this day alone, but here’s what I learned:
Your focus determines your destination.
If you are focused on the struggles in your own life, it’s very hard to serve and bless the lives of others. But when we look for opportunities to serve, our personal struggles tend to work themselves out. This experiment revealed the profound truth that service shapes our personal growth by helping us rise above our own challenges.