Being of Service - Part 4

Thirdly, you can help your community.

Everyone lives in a community. To grow and be strong, and be of help, the community needs your help. This work has no limits. There is no end to the events, the workshops, sports activities charities, or social interactions your community could provide, if only there was someone to organize, host, and prepare each one. The community will be a pleasant place to live to the extent that everyone steps up and helps.

Your own neighborhood, your block, your subdivision has opportunities for you to be a coach, an organizer, or just a good neighbor. Pick up some litter when no one is looking. Help the kid who fell off his bike. Small things will contribute to your feeling of empowerment - it gives a feeling of power to be a helper.

You can play in a sandbox of any size. The City of Saskatoon is a bigger community. Saskatchewan, bigger still. Canada is big, but for many people, their sense of community will stretch that far. Just make sure that you are doing it from a desire to serve and not a desire to control. One path leads to enlightenment, the other to unhappiness and anxiety.

I know of people who have given all their energy running for high office, and when they were elected, they had no idea what to do. They wanted the office badly, but they didn't know why. They wanted the feeling of control that it gave, but they didn't have that broader vision that allowed them to be of genuine service. One term in office and they were left bitter, unpopular, and disappointed.

Do you feel the need for power, or do you have a vision of service? It's hard to contemplate sometimes, but for your own long-term peace of mind, you must have a concept of your role in serving. You will derive much of your personal satisfaction from it.