In Service of Others
All of us naturally care about others and want to make a difference in the world.
This desire can quickly snowball into one of life’s biggest problems.
It did for me.
Ten years ago, I was a married mother of two young children. I also had started a business that allowed me to support other women. I’d owned and run previous businesses in the past, but this time I felt that I’d truly found something I was good at. I found a way I could really help others.
There I was juggling all my responsibilities. I took my responsibilities VERY seriously. I worked hard to be
a capable, professional business owner,
and a perfect parent to my two sons
and an agreeable wife,
and productive member of my community,
AND take really good care of those I served.
I knew that it was a lot at the time. I told myself that even though things could get overwhelming at times, that’s just how life was—I just had to work a little harder, to push through. Everyone else seemed to be juggling life the same way. The longer I continued to do this, however, the more isolated and disconnected I felt.
Eventually, all this weight on my shoulders caused me to collapse. One night, I found myself curled up, sobbing at the bottom of an empty bathtub. I couldn’t even pinpoint one cause of my despair; it all just felt so hard and so hopeless. I felt completely overwhelmed by every single aspect of my life.
Later that week in a coaching session, I was trying to figure out what I was missing. What could I change to make this juggling act work better? What skill was I missing? What could I do to stop these feelings of isolation and exhaustion?
After pouring out my emotions, my coach said “Imagine your life five years from now.
Now … imagine that nothing has changed.”
Tears immediately burned my eyes. “NO! No way!” I shouted into the phone. There was no way that I could see myself continuing to live this way for that long. For the first time, I realized how unhappy I was. “But why,” I thought? I had it all; a husband, two kids that I loved, and a great business that allowed me to serve others.
Have you ever felt this way?
Have you ever asked yourself:
What am I missing?
Is this all there is to life?
Why is everything so hard?
Is this really what I am supposed to be doing?
My entire life had been built upon the belief that I had to sacrifice myself for others. I had to be capable, perfect, agreeable, professional, and productive to be of service in the world. I was working so hard to try to be what I should be, what I was told I needed to be. I was falling on the sword of my purpose, and I no longer found any enjoyment in my life.
There is a way to serve others that includes taking care of yourself. Your life will work best if you design it with you firmly in the middle of it. If your life is built upon your unique design, it will suddenly start to flow with much greater ease and productivity. You will be able to serve others in even greater ways, as you’ll serve them from a place of what is possible (rather than sacrificing yourself and your desires).
If you are thinking, “Yes that is what I want, what I have always wanted,” the first step is to discover your unique design, your Endotype Formula. Understanding and operating according to your design, you can begin to serve others with ease, contentment, and (dare I say) joy.