Serving the World by Being More You

It's not a new idea, and it's not an original idea, but I'm very enamoured with this idea that has been rekindled in me recently thanks to the help of a dear friend.

The idea is to find our vocation or calling by seeking where our personal gifts happen to meet the worlds' needs. It's a balancing act - looking outside to see what the world is needing, but also looking inside to see what it is you have within you that is inherently generous.

I like this idea so much because it's a concept of service that is based on abundance rather than guilt or obligation. I think there is a natural abundance of the spirit that overflows and creates great gifts if we cultivate it. It's very important that we pay attention to the world, that we see it clearly, so we can see the great needs that are out there to be met. We do have an obligation to see the world clearly and not in a self-serving way. But we serve the world best by listening to our own inner needs for self-realization - what is it in us that wants to come alive? These natural gifts are the ones that have the power to keep giving, these are the ones that will not dry up in a time of strain or disappointment.

Just as we aspire to harvest the world's resources sustainably, so we should seek to harvest our own resources sustainably. We should be aware of our own inner ecology and what it's capable of yielding. In certain resources, we may be abundent and boundless, in others quite scarce.

Also, this formula ties service to spirit. I very much believe that our acts of service cannot be measured except by the soul which inhabits them. The ultimate scarcity in the world is not a matter of material but a matter of attention and compassion. Those gifts which spread love and make generosity possible, those are the gifts which renew and heal and bring hope to the world.

We don't have to choose between cherishing our spirit and serving the world. Properly done, each is an inherent part of the other. And to truly serve others, we must first understand ourselves and what it is we have to offer.

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