Happy August everyone! We are launching the eighth month of the year today! That seems crazy to me – and even more so, the fact that all of those beautiful children and their teachers kick off another year way too soon. I hope July was a banner month for you all and that you had time to enjoy all that summer can be – pools, lakes, oceans, lingering nights on the patio and a large dose of creating love and memories with those you love.
After taking a month off from writing, top of mind for me right now is the concept of the blog itself – SERVICE. The word has been showing up the last two weeks in my reading and various podcasts, messages and conversations. The question I wrote down was the title of this blog: Am I focused on what matters most? After all, we were indeed placed on this earth, in this generation, at this particular moment… to do just that.
When my boys were younger, serving seemed easier for some reason. We were always working toward “community service” hours, and the schools were great ambassadors to help drive that awareness. At this point, engaging in community boards is certainly service, and even serving as an act of daily living counts. Our work place is fantastic about serving and I’m proud of that. However, when is the last time I physically rolled up my sleeves to serve someone who really needed that help immediately? I’m afraid to admit that it’s been too long, short of one brief stint serving at Thelma’s Kitchen (which, by the way, is a fantastic place to join other great folks in meeting our community’s needs).
I am hopeful this post provides a call to action for you as it did for me. I would argue that serving others is the very best part of life. It takes a bit of intention, but it is worth it. It is so important that psychologists agree on one thing: If someone has depression, anxiety, a lack of focus, etc., the often recommended treatment is to walk out the door and find someone, anyone, to help – to serve. In other words, shift the focus from yourself to serving others. I absolutely love that.
Have a wonderful wrap to your week!