The importance of service work from my personal perspective
When it comes to service work, there are a few slogans that I attempt to live by in my daily life of ongoing recovery. Here are a few famous slogans that you will hear in many 12-Step meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and in other 12-Step meetings around the world:
“You have to give it away to keep it. You can’t keep what you have unless you are willing to give it away.”
“Suit up, show up, and step up.”
“Don’t expect from others what you don’t expect from yourself.”
“For every finger that is pointing out, there are three fingers pointing back at you, and it’s the only thing we can ever do anything about.”
“Always do your part. Give more than you think that you can afford in your time, your talent, and your treasure.”
More than any other slogan, one I try to incorporate into my daily life comes from my own spiritual beliefs, and that is, “What would Jesus do?” Whether one believes in Jesus as a good story (real or pretend), as a Prophet, or as the Son of God, giving pause to ask the question “What would Jesus do in this situation?” can help us react more positively to our current circumstances.
When I approach life with that premise, and take the time to truly meditate on this before I act or react, I usually come from a selfless place and the words or the act are usually much better than they would have been had I simply relied on my own thoughts, my own words, or my own actions or reactions.
The founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W., states directly, “Our 12th Step—carrying the message—is the basic service that fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence.” Bill further goes on to indicate that AA is a society of alcoholics in action. The 12th Step does not only call us to service but it calls us to practice these principles in all of our affairs, which I interpret to mean practicing these principles in every aspect of our lives. For me it applies to relationships (with strangers or family), work environment, social life, faith journey, good times and bad times.
The Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, and 12-Step traditions all call us at some level to help our peers. In Buddhism, compassion refers to a detached emotion which is not self-serving, and which gives us a sense of urgency in helping others. From a Buddhist perspective, assisting others in reducing their physical or emotional suffering is favored, but the ultimate Buddhist goal is to alleviate all suffering. This is the Third Noble Truth. In Christianity, the book of Acts in the New Testament, Chapter 20, Verse 35 states, “In all things I have shown you by working hard in this way we must help the weak, and remember the words of our Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (which is the birthing book of all 12-Step programs) it states, “Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we try to carry the message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all of our affairs.” Finally, in the Jewish tradition, the Torah teaches vital lessons about one’s relationship with his fellow man. The Torah views withholding help from another as little better than actively harming him. Standing by while someone is suffering is considered a sin. Within the Jewish faith and culture, one is obligated to do whatever he can to save a friend in need. A Course in Miracles teaches us to pay our blessings forward and help others selflessly.
Why is it that in so many traditions, cultures, and belief systems there is a call to be of service in all aspects of our lives? I think it is because we gain so much more as a giver than the receiver does. Service helps build our self-esteem and our confidence. Service instills faith and belief in oneself. The better we feel about ourselves the more likely we will completely care for ourselves emotionally, spiritually, and physically. These feelings also translate into how we experience our environment, our home, our community, and our world. The age-old saying of, “what goes around, comes around” tells us that what we put forth into the world is what we get back. If we put good out into the world, good comes back.
In developing service as a part of a treatment curriculum, we ask the people that we are serving to give to the community that they are living in or receiving care from. By doing so, they feel more committed to their program, and they feel a kinship to their healing community. When we give beyond our own healing community and into the immediate surrounding community, we feel a greater sense of belonging to the community at large. At the same time, the surrounding community will have a greater sense of connection with your organization. Sponsorship can equal a buddy system or mentorship within the place of employment. Employees can help in the workplace kitchen or staff rooms; they can make coffee or tea at a meeting. As an organization, calling on your staff to be helpful to each other, both outwardly and in ways unknown, allows them to grow a sense of commitment to each other. The more that we are committed to each other as an organization, the more we want to assist one another in being successful in caring for the people that we serve.
There are many different ways that we can service our fellow man. Something as simple as giving a smile to someone else can have an amazing ripple effect. Hopefully you are sensing as you read that something you might do today can have a ripple effect, and result in an amazing impact on someone else’s day, week, month, or lifetime.
Another act of service we can partake in is something that we frequently talk about in recovery, and that is the power of prayer. Praying for those we are angry with is a silent service to both parties. As we change our attitudes and the ways in which we act and react to people, even people we think have offended us, we are creating peace within ourselves while asking God, or our higher power, to help the other person improve his well-being.
Twelve-Step concepts can be translated both into the workplace of treatment centers or into the curriculum of treatment programs. In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, page 66, it states, “This was our course: we realize that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick. Though we did not like their symptoms and the way these disturbed us, they, like ourselves, were sick too. We asked God to help us show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend. When a person offended we said to ourselves, ‘This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done.’” If you attempt to live by this sentiment—by treating others with patience, tolerance and cheerfulness—you will have a nicer day, a freer mind, and less stress. By giving freely of yourself and practicing a perspective colored by kindness, you’ll live in greater abundance.
Service is done with no expectation of what the return may be, whether the service is financial, intellectual, emotional or spiritual. Service is truly done out of the kindness of one’s heart. Regardless of how that service is or is not received, you continue to give from a place inside yourself that continues to have no expectation in return. As human beings, it is extraordinarily hard for us to do that repeatedly every minute of every day. “We strive for progress, not perfection.” I know that for me, I fall short every single day, both in my personal life and my professional life. I am mindful to continuously be of service and have a heart for it. It is my true desire, whether in the workplace, the faith place, the home place, or the recovery place, to always be of service. In my lifetime, professionally and in my recovery and family, the greatest rewards and blessings have been received when I have had a heart of service.
I am not quite sure how this can be used, but I am certainly open to feedback. My hope is that by my sharing a little bit about who I am on a personal level—how I walk and what I believe in my home, recovery, and personal and professional life—you can use it in your own recovery journey or professional environment. I hope that my sharing a little bit more personally about who I am has somehow touched one of you in a way that is helpful.
