The Service Mindset

 

All this month we have been looking at being of service and the many health and other benefits of doing so. However, being of service not only requires taking action, it requires creating a service mindset. Going through life with a service mindset makes the world a better place for you and the people around you! It’s a key component of living at 100:100, 100% for a 100 years or more.

Respect

A service mindset doesn’t come naturally for everyone. It goes beyond just being nice. To truly come from a place of service you must have respect for the person or people you are serving. If your actions, regardless of how selfless, are done begrudgingly, that isn’t a service mindset. 

Answer This

How do you respond when someone asks you to be of service? Does it make a difference if you know the person well, or hardly know them, or don’t know them at all? Does it matter if their request is easy for you to help with or takes you out of your way—or out of your comfort zone? Do you think it’s a compliment or an imposition when someone seeks out your help?

The answers to all those questions determine whether or not you have a service mindset. Regardless of how you answered those questions, if you are willing, creating the shift to a service mindset is possible. In creating that shift, you will reap all the positive rewards that come along. 

Creating the Shift

For many of us we don’t get involved in helping other people because we don’t feel like we have anything to contribute and we’re afraid of doing something wrong. In many instances it’s our own insecurities that keep us from being of service. Insecurity can be isolating, keeping us detached from what we perceive to be other people’s problems. Remember, no one wants to live to 100 alone! So, when people ask you to serve, in whatever way, recognize it for the compliment that it is. Often people see in us things we don’t see in ourselves. 

Generosity of Spirit

Developing a service mindset doesn’t mean that you will always do what anyone and everyone asks of you. Setting personal boundaries is always important. However, it does mean that you will come from a place of generosity of spirit when responding. 

Sometimes people will ask for something you can’t deliver, but you can still be of service. Looking someone in the eye when you speak to them makes someone in crisis feel like they have been heard. Listening to people when they speak and acknowledging their pain is sometimes the most valuable support that you, or anyone, can offer. 

Intentional Acts

Checking back in with a person after they have shared their situation with you is an intentional act that shows you care, and that you are coming from a true service mindset. And, yes, sometimes dropping what you are doing—your own plans and intentions—to help someone else is part of the servant mindset. 

The Fixer

Developing a servant mindset means knowing that you will not always be able to “fix” things for someone in need. But, that doesn’t mean that you need to distance yourself from that person. Sometimes you are just part of a larger process that can take time and lots of effort and energy on the part of many people before the situation is truly “fixed.” That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do your part. 

Give and Receive

Lastly, truly having a servant mindset as part of your 100 Year Lifestyle means that you realize that sometimes, you will be the one asking for and receiving the help. Just as you would generously serve someone else, let others serve you. Asking for an ear or help in a time of need is the basis of relationships that can last a lifetime. Giving but never receiving doesn’t lead to a full or meaningful life. 

Our Service Mindset

At The 100 Year Lifestyle our providers come from a service mindset, and are grateful for the opportunity to serve our communities. There is a provider near you ready and eager to be of service to you! Find them today!