How to better serve others by moving boldly in the direction of your calling.

When I started writing on The Tao of Rob, I felt a strong calling to the project.  More so as I reached out and touched the lives of the people who read my blog, I began to feel a sense of obligation.

Therefore, as my enthusiasm for my writing waned and I was drawn to other things, I started to carry a heavy burden of guilt, for I felt as if I was abandoning those who counted on me to improve their lives.

There are a couple of inherent problems with the inner turmoil that developed, however, and overcoming them has been the most rewarding experience that I’ve had in a long time.

First, because of my ego, I believed that the people who I was serving relied on me to provide for them, and that they had no other resource to whom they could turn for support.

Second, because of my narrowmindedness, I did myself–and the world–a disservice by neglecting a strong calling to new opportunities that could better develop and leverage my natural talents.

Two things that I am currently learning in my journey.

As I am a lover of learning and personal development, I do my best to be better each day than I was the day before.  There are two things that I’m currently learning and developing in myself that I’d like to share with you.

1.) Ego is the enemy of service

As I started seeing the fruits of my labor on The Tao of Rob, I started to believe that I was solely responsible for the wellbeing of those who I served.  Through the feedback I received, I felt power.  I exalted myself to believe that I was a provider, rather than a servant.

And so, I lost touch with service and acted out of pride, not love.  There is no more common or more devastating a tragic flaw in good people as ego, for ego claims its victims without mercy.

Discard your ego.  Shun vanity.  Serve with humility, for he who exalts himself will be despised by those he believes himself to be above.

2.) Your potential is far greater than you could ever imagine.

There are billions of human beings in this world, most of whom are waiting for someone like you or I to serve them with our talents.

When you’re young, as I am, that calling can change rapidly, for we’re still learning about what exactly we can offer the world.  When you’re in your 40s or 50s, like some of my readers, that calling may change slowly, but one day you’ll feel a strong attraction to some other opportunity or path, and you will refuse to act because of a sense of fear or pride.

But here is the truth–every one of those opportunities that you are given to change is an opportunity to move closer to your true potential.  It’s an opportunity for growth, an opportunity to develop your gifts and talents and to better serve yourself and others.

Two practical steps for improving your life through service to others.

There are two actions that I want you to take in reading these words.

1.) Drop your ego in order to humble yourself to your calling.

First, in the grand scheme of things, you are not so important that you can’t be replaced.  That may come across as an insult to you, but I say these words to you in order to empower you.

For you are likely thinking to yourself, “There has to be more to life than this.”  You might feel an intense calling to serve overseas, or to start a new business, or to take a job in a new industry in which you believe that you are unqualified.

But, if you’re like every other human being on the face of the Earth, fear of the unknown and pride in your position of security hold you back.  Because the fear of changing your situation is more intense than the strength of the discomfort that you may feel by not following your mission to serve in the way that you are called, you do nothing.

And doing nothing is reprehensible.

So when I say that you’re not so important that you can’t be replaced, I mean it to empower you to rise above where you currently are and set your sights on your calling.

2.) Explore, acknowledge, and develop your true talents.

You have talents of which you are entirely unaware.  You have gifts that you’ve not yet received.  It is your right–nay, your duty–to use those talents to your full ability.

Let go of your fear, your pride, your ego and step out into the world, humbling yourself to true service and use your talents and abilities in the most productive way possible.

No matter your life situation, if you feel a strong calling to pursue a new chapter of your life, take it. Your first response will likely to be to resist, saying, “No, I can’t do that because [insert your favorite excuse here].”

(I’m the MASTER at making excuses, just for the record, so don’t think I’m preaching here.)

New opportunities are not inconveniences, thrown into your path to hinder you or distract you from your true goal.  Instead, they are given to you for a reason.  For only through exploring these opportunities can you develop your potential.

Consider this…  If you stay in that safe, 9-to-5 job, are you really moving toward your potential?  Sure, you might pick up a couple of new word processing skills and you might save up enough money to retire on over the course of 30 or 40 years, but are you exercising your talents to the best of your ability?

You have massive potential.  There is always a way that you can improve yourself.  The next time one of those opportunities falls in your lap, seize it. Do not let it go by without acting on it, for to do so is to do yourself–and others–a disservice.

What will you do today to move boldly in the direction of your calling?  How will you develop yourself so that you can better serve others?

Leave a comment if this post has moved you to action.

Related posts:

1. How your job is crushing your motivation (and what to do about it)