Does It Serve YOU?
I’ve got a very important question.
Which will lead to a very important answer.
That answer will give you boundless energy and deep fulfillment.
And the best news of all… it will help others feel the same.
First, a story…
Years ago, I was at a personal growth conference and at the end of the day, a few of us decided to meet in the lobby bar.
I turned to my new friend Brad and said…
“Hey man, can I buy you a drink?”
Brad replied, “No thanks Jon. I’m good”
Me: “Are you sure? I’m buying.”
Brad: “No, thanks. I appreciate it, but I don’t drink”
Me choking on my glass of wine thinking Brad must be a comedian, “Really? Nothing?”
OK…I now I’m fascinated. I’d never heard these words uttered from another person before. I’m not kidding when I say everyone I knew was a social drinker.
I proceeded to dig deeper…
“I’m fascinated Brad, may I ask why not?”
Brad answered without missing a beat, “It simple. Alcohol doesn’t serve me.”
My neural pathways went haywire. It didn’t take long for me to turn the question on myself, “Is alcohol serving ME?” I could make an argument for YES — it has served me. At times it’s helped break the tension in tough situations. For so many of us, booz is heavily relied upon as a social lubricant (don’t make that dirty).
On the flip side, I could easily make the argument for why it DID NOT serve me. Alcohol had arguably done more damage than good up to this point in my life. Then I remembered one of my best buddies confessing, “When I think about my worst decisions ever, alcohol was almost always involved.” And when I’m honest with myself, the same was true for me.
I asked myself once again, “Does alcohol really serve me?” The answer I didn’t want to admit, but needed to, was an unquestionable NO. That moment would be day 1 of a 2-year experiment without any alcohol.
I think the question of “Does it serve me” is an important one. When we are honest about what we need, we honor and feed ourselves everything it takes to thrive. When we thrive, we help others thrive. Ask yourself…
Do the foods you eat serve you?
Do your current relationships serve you?
Do your current thoughts and beliefs serve you?
Is your current environment serving you?
Changing any of these won’t always be easy but it is essential. What small step can you take today to serve yourself at the highest level? Change can most definitely be scary, but what’s even scarier is regret.
Before we part ways today, what is something I can do to serve you right now? Post your comments below.
Here to serve,
Jon
