I made a bit of a pivot at the beginning of last year. While I still work with many people and organizations in the “not-for-profit” sphere, I give an equal amount of time working with many people and organizations in the “for-profit” sphere.
In both arenas, there is a mindset that must prevail to feel contentment, joy, and (dare I say it) success.
That mindset is one of being a servant.
For those of you who haven’t followed my paper-babblings until now, let me explain that word since we don’t use it as much in our conversations. My description of being a servant is this:
“One who seeks to make the lives of others better without losing their own identity.”
Here’s a peeling of that definition.
If your motivation is to make the lives of others better because you know you’ll reap some monetary or physical gain, then you are a manipulator and not a servant.
If your motivation is to make the lives of others better, but it costs you your sense of self-worth, or you lose the knowledge of how you are wired up, then you are a slave and not a servant.
Having a servant mindset is a beautiful weaving of giving and receiving. It is a dance set on the stage of progress and contentment. Serving to “give” rather than serving to “get” can catapult your influence in every arena of life.
Jesus, the master-servant, said,
“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last and the servant of all.”
Mark 9:35
In your life, where might you need a mindset shift toward being a servant rather than a manipulator? Where might you need to balance giving too much with establishing healthy boundaries that eventually allow you to help even more people?
The mindset of serving is the bedrock of success. (click here to TWEET that statement).
Peace,
Todd Stocker 