‘How do I use my unique gifts to serve the world and make money?’ – If there were an Emmy Award for “the Question of the Year”, this is the question to earn it. Creating wealth while following your passion.
People, Planet and Profit is society’s new motto.
Collectively, people are paying millions, if not billions of dollars and hours to experts, consultants, and coaches that promise to help them answer:
- How do I make money by living my mission?
- What are my unique gifts that would allow me to prosper from being in service?
No wonder.
Because the vast majority of people asking the question are in one of those 3 camps:
- They have a burning desire to earn money doing good and don’t yet know their purpose;
- They know their purpose and don’t yet know how they are going to deliver on it;
- They are creating value while struggling financially.
And yet…
Like the old saying: – if you want to hide the treasure, put it in plain sight. Then no one will see it. – the two keys to this question are hidden in plain sight…
This treasure we seek, we all have access to, every single day…
It is free.
It is abundant.
It is there, waiting for us to reach for it.
And yet we walk past this treasure, without realizing that these mundane, common keys unlock the gates to mission and money.
Just like the priest and the Levite walked past the dying man in the “Parable of the Good Samaritan”.
Remember the parable? It is the hallmark biblical story about service.
A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way, he was attacked by robbers who left him to die by the side of the road. A priest passed him by. And so did a Levite (a Levite is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi who provides assistance to priests in the Jewish temple).
But not the Samaritan. He not only stopped; he took the injured man to a place of safety and paid for his care!
If you look a little closer, you’ll find the first key to our question…
And this first key is what this blog is all about:
the counter-instinctive way to making money through being in service.
Believe me when I say, most people are not doing it!
And in case you are wondering, there is another counter-instinctive key which we’ll be talking all about in Part 2 of this blog series, so if you like this one, keep an eye out for the next ;).
Back to the story of the good samaritan…
in 1973, John Darley and Daniel Batson conducted an experiment simulating the parable of the good samaritan.
They wanted to know if:
- People who were religious were more likely to be of service than others;
- People in hurry were less likely to offer aid than others.
They picked students studying theology at Princeton University and tasked them with preparing a lecture and split them into two groups.
- Group One’s lecture: the Parable of the Good Samaritan;
- Group Two’s lecture: job opportunities for people studying theology.
They let all know that the lecture was a distance away and gave some students from both groups:
- Very little time (they had to rush);
- Reasonable time;
- Ample time.
They sent them off on their merry way, but not before placing in their path a person keeling over coughing with abdominal pains (good thing that was before the days of Covid).
And they watched.
What they found out was:
- The fact that people are religious had no bearing on their willingness to help;
- This little real-life replay of the Parable of the Good Samaritan did not inspire those who were going to give that very lecture to be more helpful.
The only thing that made the difference was how much time participants believed they had. This is the percentage of people who helped in each category – regardless of any other consideration!
- Low Hurry – 63%
- Intermediate Hurry – 45%
- High Hurry – 10%
In fact, some people were in such a rush that they literally stepped over the person in distress!
I can see the wheels in your mind turning: “I can maybe see what this story has to do with service, but what does it have to do with me earning my living through being in service?”
I’ll tell you. It has everything to do with:
- Universal Vocation
- Personal Vocation
And the relationship between them.
It also has everything to do with “time” and “hurry” and how that is:
- Preventing you from accessing your universal AND personal vocation.
- Keeping you poor (or at least not wealthy) and unhappy.
What is this Universal Vocation?
Every single one of us, every human being who has ever lived on the face of this planet has the same universal vocation – to know, love and serve the divine.
Take your mind’s eye back to the last 10 days. How many opportunities for universal service could you have stepped into?
How many good samaritan moments did you miss?
You may say: “oh but I do volunteer at an organization, or I show support to my friends all the time!”
To that, I would ask you: “do you live every day from a state of openness and service? Or do you view service as a set number of activities that you have taken on, a list of separate “things”?
Why do you do that? Why do we all do that?
May I venture a guess and say: because you do not have the time!
In today’s world, we are so busy with the question of “Personal Vocation”, which is more about using your unique gifts and talents to know, love and serve the divine.
If you are an entrepreneur, then so much of your time is going to building your businesses, mapping your ideal clients, creating your sales funnels, perfecting your pitch and soliciting clients.
If you are an employee, then similarly, so much of your time is going to honing your skills, differentiating yourself, delivering top-notch work, and progressing towards that next raise and promotion.
And whatever small amount of energy and time is left, you are pouring into your home and close circle of friends and family.
All that is incredibly important! And yet, it is not enough.
Because that rigid and narrow focus is keeping you from being in a continuous state of openness. It is keeping you from being in service. It is cutting you off from flow.
It is restricting you from creating a deeper connection with people.
It is stopping you from accessing the very opportunities and resources that will help you build your wealth through being in service.
The irony? The more you lean into “getting the job done”, the less time you feel you have.
And the less time you feel you have, the more disconnected you become from the flow of opportunities coming your way.
You are, like the priest, the Levite and the participants of the study, stepping over the very opportunities for service, in your rush to do what you need to do, and get to where you need to go.
And THAT is keeping you strapped for money and time. And the more strapped you feel, the less time and money you will have.
I speak from personal experience when I say: every career opportunity; every single business I’ve built, every client I’ve landed were the result of moments of universal service.
Sounds simple? Well it is. But it isn’t easy.
So here are the 3 tips to help you in your journey.
#1 Do Not Discard Small Acts of Presence and Kindness
We often focus on the big things.
We think that to be in service means we have to dedicate tens of hours towards volunteering at an organization, or taking on a client pro bono because they cannot afford our services.
And those acts of service matter… greatly.
And yet, there is only so much time we can dedicate to those big acts of kindness.
The real differentiating magick lies in our ability to bake presence and service into our very being.
You might not have time to help your friend with a move, but you have time to send a short and thoughtful personal message and ask about how it went.
You might not have time to help a friend flesh out their investor’s deck, but you have time to mail them a copy of the book that helped you build your business proposition.
You might not have 4 hours to spend having dinner and drinks with a colleague, but you do have 10 minutes to spare where you listen attentively with all your presence and being.
Because guess what? Your full undivided attention and presence IS SERVICE!
We think it doesn’t matter. And yet, those little things when done consciously, with a pure intention to be of service, and with no regard to what we will get out of it build rapport and bring opportunity.
#2 Make It Your NUMBER ONE Priority to Expand the Circle You Support & Serve
With a family to care for, demanding work, an ailing parent, a child working through difficult emotions, bills to pay, a car to repair and the countless other pressures of life…
being present to and supportive of the people who are not in our innermost circle is the last thing we think of.
And yet, most of our opportunities come from this expanded circle!
If we know how to tend to it, that is.
I started my first company because I had an impromptu conversation with a classmate.
I built the largest Palestinian youth network because I said yes to volunteering my skills and time to build a social entrepreneurship program for Palestinian youth.
I landed 5 clients in a week because I was 100% present in conversation with friends and strangers.
If you commit to:
- Being 100% present in every interaction;
- Taking every small opportunity to serve and support the people who come your way;
- Saying yes to meeting new people and engaging with people outside your immediate circle, no matter how inconvenient that may seem at the moment.
You will find that the wealth of opportunities to serve soon turns into financial opportunities.
#3 Use Universal Vocation as THE WAY to Finding Your Personal Vocation
This is especially key if you are feeling this calling to “figure out” what your personal vocation is.
Because often what happens is that you become so focused on uncovering your unique gifts and talents.
You become so anxious, worried, and depressed because you do not yet know what you believe you should have, and this closes you off from the very situations that will help you get clarity!
So try this instead.
Commit to living your Universal Vocation every single day!
Do regular acts of kindness. Enhance your presence in every situation and interaction.
And ask:
- What did I enjoy doing?
- What did I get complimented on?
- How did I provide support? And what was the outcome of this support?
- What did I do exceptionally well? And what does that tell me about my gifts?
If you pour yourself wholeheartedly into this exercise, and serve A LOT, you will find that you will, in the most natural and easy way, find the answers you are seeking for.
Clarity will not come to you by “thinking more”. It will come to you by “doing more” and “being in service more and more” and then reflecting consciously on the experience and results of this service.
Until next time,
Much love,
Mike & Lulwa
P.S. if you find that you are over-extending yourself in service of others all the time, and yet are gaining nothing in return, and grinding into a halt, stay tuned! We promise to write a blog about this specifically after we share with you Part 2 of this two-part series!
Other content that might interest you:
The Counter Instinctive Principle to Achieving Audacious Goals & Building Habits that Stick
- The Counter-Instinctive Way To Manifest Wealth & Wellbeing – Part 2
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Blog collaboration: Mike Popovici & Lulwa Saffarini, Blog written by: Lulwa Saffarini
Photo Credits:
- Main photo licensed form Adobe Stock
