Question #1. You chose “Be of Service” as your personal motivation that most exemplifies you and how you show up for others. Please explain why.
At a certain point in my life I realized I am happiest when I feel useful. This is not just a superficial happiness – it’s a deep sense of contentment and feeling right with the world. The Dalai Lama says “The root of happiness is altruism – the wish to be of service to others.” I believe it’s in my own best interest to do what I can to help others. Over the years I have also come to realize just how privileged I am, and I now view that privilege as a tool which I can use to be of service to others who may have fewer, or different, privileges.
Question #2. When did you first notice this quality in yourself?
Looking back on it, I first started noticing my love of service as a teenager when I had my first paid job working at the public library. While I found school boring, I loved going to work. I put returned books back on their shelves, repaired books that needed mending, and helped people find what they were looking for. It was simple, and yet so satisfying.
Question #3. Please share a story that exemplifies this quality in yourself
A couple of years after college I joined the Peace Corps. I lived in a small village in Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) for three years.There I worked with the local nurse and teachers on issues in rural health care and education. It was a humbling lesson in the complexity of systemic inequality; I realized how naive I was to think that a young white woman could make a significant impact. However it also taught me about real community partnership, and how progress is made at the speed of trust. Together we were eventually able to accomplish some significant projects, including renovating the local school building, and significantly increasing the number of girls enrolled in school.
Question #4. How do you exhibit this motivation in your daily life?
For close to 25 years I worked as a reporter and producer for Minnesota Public Radio News. There I had the honor and privilege of sharing other people’s stories with the community. Now I’m more interested in how I can empower other people to tell their own stories. This past year I’ve been working with an amazing cohort of young reporters – all women of color – as they covered the trial of Derek Chauvin and other stories involving race and justice in Minnesota. Seeing them take on new challenges, build their confidence, and thrive doing the work has been incredibly gratifying.
Question #5. What has it meant to you personally?
“Being of Service” has meant taking a hard look at my ego. If I want to truly be helpful, I need to remember that I am not the center of attention, nor should I be. In the past, when I saw a project that needed doing, I’d often jump in to do it without thinking about whether I was the right person for the job. Now I’m thinking about how I can use my skills and labor to help others accomplish their goals, and divorce myself from my ego’s need for recognition or applause.
Question #6. How do you encourage others to “Be of Service”?
There’s a parable I love to share with others as a way of thinking about service.
A visitor goes to Hell, where he sees a group of people sitting around a large bowl of soup. They each have spoons with ridiculously long handles, and so they can’t manage to eat, and are spilling the soup everywhere. They are angry and unsatisfied.
Then the same traveler visits Heaven; there he finds another group of people sitting around a large bowl of soup, with the same long-handled spoons. But here, the people are feeding each other, and everyone is nourished and happy.
I truly believe that if we focus on other people’s happiness and wellbeing, it will in turn lead to our own happiness and wellbeing. So what I do for others, I am actually doing for myself.
Question #7. Please share an example of when you encouraged this in others and there was a positive outcome.
I believe the best way to convince others to be of service is by example. Just as other people have shown me how to be better by the way in which they live, I hope some people will see how I live – and how rewarding this way of life is – and will be inspired to live similarly.
