What is the single most important thing to teach someone?
What is the single most important thing to teach someone? Honesty? Integrity? Passion? The Golden Rule?
For any parents out there, what is the one thing you want your children to learn before they leave the house?
I had the pleasure to chat with one of the smartest people I know this past weekend. He has negotiated deals with leaders of foreign countries, had tremendous success in business, built a wonderful family and is now a professor at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
When you have the ear and attention of someone you respect immensely, what would you ask them?
For me there has been a lot on my mind lately related to teaching, mentoring, legacy and the transfer of knowledge. So when the opportunity presented itself I dove in with a question that’s been on my mind.
“If you could only teach someone one skill or concept to ensure they live a good life, what would it be?”
His response. Service.
I was a little surprised by the answer from the former investment banker turned Colombia professor but the more I’ve been thinking about it, the more it make sense. Service.
After a pen to paper brainstorm below are the most rewarding reasons to serve others (in the sense of volunteering). There are a number of additional reasons of why (customer) service in the business world is imperative. So important, I will devote another entire blog to the topic.
Here are a couple valuable reasons to volunteer your time to serve others:
The people you meet volunteering
Leaders are volunteers. People who volunteer are not only have the time to invest in helping others they have the heart to do so as well. Take time to get to know the other volunteers. These are the best possible people to associate with.
TIP: It’s my preference to volunteer somewhere with an ongoing commitment. Every Thursday or even once a month (with the same group of people) beats a one time volunteer event. The ongoing commitment allows you to form relationships with the other volunteers and make more lasting connections with the group you are helping.
Becoming part of your community
Not only will you meet wonderful people volunteering it feels good to know you are an active member of your community. Volunteering is important because sometimes communities need extra help with certain issues, such as poverty, education or housing and in volunteering your time you become part of the solution. Volunteering can help provide assistance to the community in order to make it a better and more prosperous place to live.
How it makes you feel
The quickest way to feel better about yourself is to do something nice for someone else. The rewards from volunteering are evident in the gratitude from the people being helped however often overlooked is the tremendous feeling one receives from helping someone else. If you think times are tough, go volunteer and serve those less fortunate than yourself to change your perspective. Things could always be worse. The feeling you get after volunteering is one of the best feelings in the world.
TIP: Find something you are passionate about and someway to volunteer in that space.
Too often I hear, “Volunteering is a great thing to do but I don’t have the time.” Typically those comments come from the same people who spend at least an hour a week watching Jersey Shore or some other worthless program on tv.
Volunteering doesn’t mean giving up every free moment you have. Find a cause you believe in and invest an hour a week volunteering. Rather than grabbing a beer or watching television, you can help others, meet new quality people, and enhance your life with one simple stroke of the brush. Service.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Gandhi
All for now, until next week. More energy! More focus! Make more decisions! Just press play and serve those around you!
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