Whole Persons contribute time, energy, and leadership, as well as financial resources, to communityand human service organizations, educational
institutions, government, civic and charitable organizations, and other worth-
while endeavors, voluntarily and without expectation of personal gain.
Page 1 Module 4- Service
THE FUTURE IS YOURS TO MAKE!
The journey begins today, right now, by taking the first step.
Service is all about humility and understanding your strengths and weaknesses creating a specific identity that is YOU. Every person on the planet is an individual, even in the case of twins, triplets, sextuplets, they are never identical in personality as your character and personality are developed and affected by your environment and experiences of what goes on around you. This will continue from birth to death. The great news is that You are in control. You can sync with the pace and content of all matters that affect us humans, forms and shapes our minds, our souls, and even our bodies. Habits are formed and learnt and the education of oneself in terms of SERVICE begins entirely and ends entirely with you. You are in control!
So, what is Service? It begins with the givers and the takers. When you wish to impart your ideas or products or prayers, your Service takes the form of giving without fear or favour, and without expectation of reward. In other words, you give freely from the bottom of your heart as an honest and trustworthy person who wholly believes in the spoken words that he utters. In other words, Honesty is the Best Policy.
Service is a learnt art. It comes naturally to some but most of us have to work at it every single day.
So, what is Service? It is the exchange and sharing of your skills, knowledge and capability with others, for a mutual benefit of give and take which leads to harmonious relationships with those around you.
Conditions of service can be set by You, by your employer, by your partner, by your minister, by your teacher, by your community, all the way through to the elected leaders in government.
Service is all about approval and recognition of your rendered duty to your fellow citizens….in recent years in South Africa common terms used in all walks of life are “going the extra mile” or “giving 110% beyond the call of duty”.
The difference between one person and another is this so-called Level of Service. You do not want to be the one who renders the lowest or minimum level of service, effort, because you will end up at the end of the queue, whilst on the other hand the better the quality of the Service, the more reliable the outcome of your spoken word, the more likely you will have success in making a difference.
Nobody is perfect so service levels in life, from ordering a fast food takeaway to a carwash all depend on the level of service provided.
On this journey, it is also wise to not take the shortcut, as you will surely miss wonderful and satisfying events and opportunities in your life, which often as not may require you to sit back and “smell the roses”.
As a person, you will develop and set your level of service to all those with whom you come in contact. You will earn the trust of your peers, your family and all those around you with whom you interact in your daily life.
- SERVICE TO FAMILY: You can choose to be an obedient child, a willing child, a loving child, a caring child, and a dependable person, so that all the members of your family will love you and trust you….you can set the standard.
Be smart……………Learn Smart………………Act Smart
- SERVICE TO HEALTH: It is important to look after your body. Healthy people are more likely to be achievers. Do not abuse your body with chemicals, alcohol, cigarettes. Eat a healthy balanced diet. Service your body by healthy eating, exercise and good living habits. Your body is an amazing machine. Use all its functions. Your body is impossible to replicate in the 21st century.
The brain (which might also include the soul in your consciousness) is your most vital piece of equipment. It has amazing capabilities and currently its capacity is almost limitless. It is a well-known and accepted fact that humans do not use anywhere near their maximum brain capacity.
You must learn, must stretch, must challenge, and must maintain the absorption of information to train and grow your brain capacity. Your skillsets are provided by your day to day activities with those around you. Your teachers and the schooling system, the colleges, trade schools and universities are all there to support you….follow in the footsteps of your elders and predecessors who set the foundations centuries ago and you will build the foundation of your life and future.
Be Smart……………Learn Smart……………Act Smart
- SERVICE IN EDUCATION: It is up to YOU…what you put in is what you get out. By serving your learning years faithfully, you will absorb the necessary knowledge to make you a free Thinker, and the doors will open to a successful career and therefore a successful and rewarding life.
Thoughts and thinking are not expressed in monetary terms. Whether you come from a poor or wealthy family, the opportunities are equal. It is up to you to make something of what you have learnt .
The world, and life, is a Virtual Circle. Spinning should take on a whole new meaning. Like the spider who weaves his web with his silk in order to achieve his goals and satisfy his appetite.
By using Education you will learn to set your personal Goals, Objectives, and acquire and hone the skills that you need to make your life a success
Your life will then be serviced-filled, fun, happy and rewarding.
Be Smart……………Learn Smart……………Act Smart
- SERVICE IN CAREER: It is NOT always about the money. There are people who aspire to be a horse-groom, a shepherd, a rocket scientist, a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, a minister etc. The beautiful part about life in our country is that there are no restrictions anywhere regarding your career. YOU can be whatever you want to be. Of course, there are requirements. You must acquire the skills and prepare yourself for your career by choosing the right subjects at school to lead you to your goals. Every day is a new day. No matter what you choose to do, you will do it every day of your working life. However, you never stop learning and you must listen to everything and those around you, and learn to make judgement calls on what is correct or not. Nobody is perfect. You will make mistakes, more than once, but the smarter you are and the more you have learnt, the less likely you are to be fooled.
There are good doctors and bad doctors, good preachers and bad preachers, good bread and bad bread. Trust and follow the courage of your convictions. You are the only one that can make the difference in the service that you give to your career.
Be Smart……………Learn Smart……………Act Smart
- SERVICE TO SERVICE: You can of course sit back and let the days, weeks and months go by. Procrastination and laziness are easy. If YOU do not get up in time in the morning to go to school or work, you are derelict in your duty to service.
Community Service is admirable, voluntary, and freely given by a person to provide help to his community and fellow citizens.
Service is an acquired skill. You were not born with it and you can’t buy it. Think about Service as a train-track or road that will lead you somewhere….over the rainbow… your dreams will drive your engine to achieve your goals and ambitions.
Be Smart……………Learn Smart……………Act Smart
- SERVICE IN FINANCE: Money makes the world go round, go round, go round. We live in a time when everything is measured by finance. Nothing seems to be for nothing. Everything costs something, whether it’s time, ice-cream, fancy cars, rocket fuel, etc. When you buy airtime for your Smartphone or data for your computer, you are on the treadmill of buying and selling money and services.
Money is a means to an end. We all have to buy clothes, food, accommodation, transport, communication, and even entertainment. So far, in the 21st century, air is still free! But like water, sooner or later, someone will find a way to bottle it and charge money for it.
So as your parents have earned their income and controlled the spend by providing you with a home, education and wellbeing, so too will your turn come to apply your skills and knowledge into your service, and climb the treadmill of money. From birth to death, money will dictate the level of success, status and ability to make your mark in society, but bear in mind that it does not dictate the quality of life. Money does NOT buy love and trust. Those are earned by your service to others.
Be Smart……………Learn Smart……………Act Smart
- SERVICE IN SPIRITUAL: Generally speaking, the world measures time by “Anno-Domini”. Here we are in 2021 AD. One must understand that the modern western calendar began with the birth of Jesus Christ. Whether you believe in God, Jehovah, or Allah, the majority of the world’s population believes in a Supreme Deity. There is a Code of Conduct that was given to humans by the prophets and which is recorded in the Bible, the Torah, and the Koran and many other religious disciplines.
All of them relate to how you service your life spiritually. Being a good and faithful servant on your journey through life will provide you with peace of mind, faith in the future, a purpose, and the will to do your duty and live a good life. Each person determines their own level and beliefs but they are guided in their thinking by the recorded histories. Like other academic subjects it can become a way of life. For example, a mathematician, a language teacher, a geographer, or a minister. It is interwoven into all walks of life, at every level of humanity. We are all Children of God. We choose our level of service in faith and we are better people for it.
Whether you believe in the after-life or not, this life is the one you are living and you measure yourself against yourself in terms of what you believe and how you act.
Be Smart……………Learn Smart……………Act Smart