Are you looking for that “perfect opportunity?”
Well guess what? It will never happen. The opportunities that will come for serving are the ones you will choose to engage in. YOU will make them happen.
Start where you are.
In Jim Stovall’s book The Millionaire Map he quoted General George Patton as saying “A good plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan next week.”
Too often we look for the perfect plan. It may never exist, and while you are waiting for it, you will miss a ton of opportunities to serve.
Go simple.
- Hold the doors open for people when you’re going into big buildings. Young men, are you looking to get some attention? This will get you that. It’s a lost art. I train my boys to always do that, of course sometimes you get stuck in that position when the crowds are heavy, but you understand my point.
- When you’re getting up for a meal, take someone’s empty dishes that are around you.
- If you’re getting yourself a drink, and there is others around you, ask if you can get them anything.
Help someone move.
I have a friend of mine that will NEVER ask anyone to help him move. I asked him why one day and he says, “Well because I don’t want to help anyone else move their house.” No one wants to ask, because generally no one wants to help. Moving stinks, so if you are looking for a way to serve, this is always a great one.
You don’t have to make a big deal of it. Here is a story I love.
The starfish story.
One day, a man was walking along the beach, enjoying the morning sun and cool breeze from the ocean. Suddenly, far off in the distance, he saw what looked like someone dancing. But as he drew closer, the man noticed that it was a little girl picking up starfish from the shore and tossing them back into the ocean. As he approached the girl, he paused for a moment, kind of puzzled, then asked, “Young lady – why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”
She replied, “Well, the sun is up, and the tide is going out. If I leave these starfish on the beach, the sun will dry them up and they will die.”
The man said “But there are thousands of starfish washed up all along this beach for miles! You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young girl thought for a moment, then slowly leaned over, and carefully picked up another starfish from the sand. And with the starfish in hand, she turned to the man and gently said “You may be right, but it’ll make a difference to this one!” And with that, she reached back and threw the starfish as far as she could back into the ocean.