That is, after all, the primary reason we live – to be of service to others.

– Collins Dictionary online

“Providing a service” is a term that means giving our skill or knowledge in a transaction with someone and receiving an exchange of energy, monetary or otherwise. How can we be of service in a spiritual sense?

The desire to be helpful and useful comes from the good, kind, sharing, loving, understanding part of us. In a spiritual sense, we are of service to someone when we share our wisdom and understanding with someone who may be in need of assistance.

Smiling cashier at a grocery store.

Have you ever offered to help someone because you could relate to what they were going through? We may be able to help because we have been through similar experiences.

No matter whether we are giving a physical or a spiritual service, we are doing it for the energy exchange that happens when we give of ourselves. Being of service is the ‘je ne sais pas quoi’ ingredient of life that brings a spark of enthusiasm and joy as we willingly give to someone in need.

Laughing construction workers with a plan.

This is so important for our well being; it is the elixir of life. Being of service can create a deep sense of belonging, healing any feeling of separation from self or others. In my own experience, when I learned that being of service was a two-way street of giving and receiving, it changed my perspective of life. I stopped feeling I was leaving myself out and began to feel that I was living in the center of my life, rather than being on the sidelines watching my life unfold around me.

The key was acknowledging what I wanted to learn and unfold within myself in the dynamic exchange of energy taking place between both parties.

Everyone has a specific purpose or calling for this lifetime. In the Inner Peace Movement program it is referred to as our Spiritual Thrust. Your thrust is the pinnacle of what you have learned over lifetimes of experience and refined into a unique message. Your spiritual thrust is what you express when you are being of service. Understanding your spiritual message for this lifetime can help you to live consciously and be aware of exactly how you are being of service in your involvement with others.

All the tools you need.

If you want to accelerate your inner growth and awareness, being of service is the route that will open up avenues for meaningful experiences to take place. As we enter a new year and opportunities abound to grow spiritually, here are some ideas:

    • Before providing a service, take a few moments to check-in with your feelings and set a goal for what you would like to gain from the experience.
    • Afterwards, ask yourself what you learned from the experience related to the goal you set.
    • Practice seeing every experience as a stepping stone, a lesson to be experienced and learned from. There are many lessons in life and very few mistakes.
    • Listen to your body. If you are not clear about what you are getting out of the experience, you may feel tired or drained afterwards.
    • On the other hand, if you feel energized, you are aware of what you are gaining from your experience and will feel motivated to do more.

Being of service is about how we treat ourselves. Listening to our inner feelings and communicating honestly with ourselves we can be authentic and true to the person we came to be this lifetime. And that is truly being of service!