Serving Others—My April Experiment
I’m halfway through my April Experiment—to serve others instead of being concerned about how others are serving me—and wanted to report on what’s happening for me with it and give you a little background about how these monthly “experiments” came to be.
For the last 15 years or so I’ve been quite disciplined about personal growth and development (yes, I’m a Virgo). Each month I choose a theme or focus to enrich my life and intentionally make the world a better place. Life becomes my teacher; the world becomes a live classroom. I become a more enlightened brother and I have so much fun doing it.
Be Green not Mean
Last month’s experiment was “be green not mean,” through which I established a goal of living a more interpersonally sustainable life. I monitored the release of emotional pollutants and cleaned up all spilled toxins. I said I’m sorry and asked for forgiveness and “claimed the lame” every chance I got. I renegotiated terms of old relationships. I introduced new strategies for engaging my village as a whole (e.g., I chilled on the road rage, traded evening rap for NPR). I was literally rolling carbon neutral with a real shallow foot print by month’s end.
This month's personal transformation project (PTP) was borne out of Piers Morgan’s interview with Colin Powell and a seriously good sermon by one of my favorite preachers, Bishop Charles Blake. Both promoted serving others and humility as the utmost important components to good living. Man, they pulled a Madison Avenue stunt without even trying to—enticing me with their description of these principles like one entices folks to purchase a 2012 Audi A7. I wanted! I ordered!
What Would Colin Do?
WWCD—What Would Colin Do—has left me free of taking offense because it’s not about me, or ego. Void of any bitterness and anger, I’ve felt so dang kind, sweet, and “lean” in a mental cleanse sort away. Most of all, I see how much more selfless I could stand to be; I really didn’t know how lame I’d gotten.
But I think the most startling shift in my consciousness in this experiment is the reality that as long as I’m serving with expectations, I’m really not serving others; I’m still clinging to whatever I’m “giving” because I want something in return.
Let’s change the world
I’m as passionate as can be about this PTP stuff. I think it ought to be consumed by all 7 billion of us. And I want you to help me make it happen. If you can think of a better name for PTP, let me hear from you. (Because, you know, if we’re really going to teach the world to change in perfect harmony……we gotta package just right!). And if we do it just right, do realize how many folks’ dreams and passions will come alive and the changes we’ll see in the world?
So come on. Let’s do this thing—together.
Be peace, be love,
Jerome!