Are You Serving Others To Meet Their Needs Or Yours?

Has anyone ever asked you the question “How may I serve you?”

Most of the time we might hear “How can I help you” but not often do we hear the word “serve” being used.

Are you serving others to meet their needs or yours?

Over the past few days I have been in a situation that reminded me of the book “Three Feet From Gold” by Sharon Lechter, Greg S. Reid & Mark Victor Hansen.

This book was based on a story from the book “Think & Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.  The story I’m referring to in the book “Think & Grow Rich“ talks about a gentlemen by the name of R. U. Darby.  Darby’s story provides a great lesson for all of us because he stopped three feet short of his goal which was gold.

I’ll save the Darby story for another time and focus on the “Three Feet From Gold” book.

“Three Feet From Gold“ contains many inspirational quotes and stories from men and women who found great success in a huge array of fields from business to sports.

They are all tied together by the main character, and author, Greg Reid, who is on his own journey to find success in his life.

Greg is struggling in business, behind on his rent, girlfriend dumped him, and in a bad situation overall.

Through the aide of a gentlemen named Jonathan Buckland, whom he met accidentally on purpose, he was introduced to a network of very successful individuals.

On each occasion when he met with a new individual, that person would ask “How may I serve you?.  While this surprised Greg at first, he finally realized “The most successful people are the most accessible people. The most successful people want to teach others to be successful.”

Often we get so tied up in our “me” attitude that we forget the importance of helping/serving others. 

“You can have everything in life you want, it you will just help other people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar

Do we really want others to join our business or buy our products if it is going to put them in a financial bind? 

If they, a prospect, have the desire within themselves to join your company or buy your products, they will find a way.  It has to be their desire…not yours.

In this book, Greg was given three things to remember after he selected his path.

1. – Seek the counsel of those who have expertise outside your own.

2. – Never quit three feet from gold.

3.- When you become successful, you will find other whom you can mentor.  Share with them the lesson you have learned.

I chose to give a different view on this book as it relates to serving others.  Greg’s success was from the willingness of others to help him succeed. Everyone that was interviewed in the book, including the author faced a lot of adversity with their visions.  Even though they were successful, they understood the importance of serving others. 

They shared their insight by serving others in a way that they too could become successful.

I would also like to add that all the people in the book, with the exception of 3 (including Jonathan Buckland whom I mentioned previously) are real and their stories of courage and achievement are true.

As you take a few minutes to think about how you can start serving others today, I want to share a few quotes from the book.

“There’s a difference between being interested and being committed.”

“Seek counsel, not opinions, and pass it on.”

“A dream is just a dream until it is written down.  Only then does it become a goal.”

“Tell the world what you intend to do, but first show it.” Napoleon Hill

“The margin between success and failure is a very thin line.  History is the past.  Base decisions on the future.”

“Ten percent of your attitude is determined by what life hands you and ninety percent by how you choose to respond.”

“Every wealth creator is crystal clear about two things: a vision and a mission.”

“Do not expect troubles, as they have a tendency not to disappoint.” Napoleon Hill

“If you want something to change, then change the way you look at it.”

If you enjoyed this post and have decided you want to start serving others please leave a comment below.

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Then, start serving others by sharing this Free Guide.