Caretakers, In Service To
Musing and reflection on Service and what it means to me
My brush with Service
Service was never really something I grew up with, or was exposed to. At least the concept of it. I was not educated to think or reflect on service. My daughters were exposed to the concept in their school. I came across it there, but only brushed shoulders with the word, not the concept or even the practice. Shame really.
Now, I am using this opportunity of being prompted to write about service to explore first steps, may there be dragons regions of myself; all in addition to actually writing. I am not a writer, as you will quickly figure out by my unstructured style and linguistic Genglish grammar. Excuses aside, here I am. Facing the page, the void, and listening to what comes up. What presents itself. To be of service I also need to be open to recognise and receive its blessing. Priming my unconscious to present me with insight and recognition of service, what it means and what it can become in my life, how I may manifest it more.
We are caretakers
It was a few months ago that the word 'caretaker' and 'taking care' found me and plucked some strings in me and deeply resonated. I was working on my business. My work. Exploring where and what my heart was guiding me to focus on how I bring value to both the world and myself. 'We are all caretakers of this world, our relationships, our body and soul' was the message I found. This realisation hit me. It spurred a flurry of visions and thoughts. Nature, humanity, friends, actions, beliefs all surfaced at a rapid pace. I changed the direction of my work at that point, more towards inner integrity and alignment, more aligned with a positive future for our world and setting boundaries, based on values of promotion of harmony, cleaner and more vibrant economy and life. Yes, fluffy, but meaningful, for me, none the less.
This notion of being a caretaker refined from the macro that I experienced as a vision and sensory stream to the insight that how I do one thing is how I do everything. Caretaking, and service is fractal in nature. You don't have to change the whole world at once, but how you go about doing anything, with care and with service to the greater whole, is how you change the world, and faster and more profoundly than you can believe.
The intention of service and our right to the work
There is a line from the Bhagavad Gita that has stayed with me over the past 4 years.
"You have a right to your work, but not to the fruits of your work"
I came across it during a period of about six months where I was reading a diverse range of books seeking personal, professional, and spiritual growth. 7 different books and authors flung this quote at me. Some subtle, some with a sledge hammer. And it started to make sense. It began to put past work and life challenges and agony into perspective, gave them meaning. Explained them in seconds. It all made sense. I had worked so much for the fruits and mostly forgotten to enjoy the journey, leaving me with a desert of sparse memories and impressions of experiential poverty. I had to change, to do the work. That was a conscious awakening and a path upwards and onwards that I am enjoying walking on now. I mean I am writing, something I have not dared do, nor enjoyed in the past! Just for the sake of it. To explore what is and what comes. Which is why this essay is so unstructured.
Service and attachment
I just looked up the whole quote and it also has another saying that I have carried with me over 30 years now, back from when I had listened to an audio tape (yes, those existed back then) by Deepak Chopra. "Relinquish your attachment to the outcome" is what I remember. And it always seemed rationally so hard to do. That was because I was a hack, being attached to the outcome, at least most of the time. Looking back, my best work I did when I was in flow, didn't care about an outcome or how anyone else might think about it. I was creating, for creation's sake. Was in the moment, free of attachment to an outcome, true to intention, alive. I am experiencing more of these moments. These moments, I realise are moments of service. Service to something greater, and also within. Some may call it The Muse, others inspiration or flow, or whatever name they have for that state, where you just are, where you just do and create and play your skills and capabilities like a master plays their instrument, in tune and full of life. I realise this is service. To selflessly enjoy the work and be joyful.
What about me?
So what? How does this impact me and my work? As I am developing, that is slowly uncovering what is already there but unknown to me yet, my work, my offerings, I am more and more conscious of how service comes into this work and also through this work. How can facilitating strategy workshops and working with people to execute their business strategies be service to them? How can working with people at critical times for them of change in their lives, times of growth, of rising to a challenge or becoming who they need to be to thrive on the journey and surmount their next challenges? It seems that by giving to these needs freely that I am able to receive more than I already have. What comes back is wealth, energy, gratitude, abundance, learning, experience, relationships, moments to remember - memories. Yes I charge, and that is the monetary value exchange. The explicit contract. What really is exchanged has no balance sheet. No accountant taking note or counting. Sometimes it is love expressed through humility and gratitude in all its forms and manifestations. At other times it is nothing, people just move on to do great things.
Service and success
"If you lighten the path for somebody, it will lighten your own path" - the Buddha stood out for me this morning. Found it on my 30 minutes of scrolling this morning. Nothing else stood out. This as a signal, a recognition that I am on the right path, and that Service is a vital part of this journey. I recognise now that I am wanting to serve people in finding their way and the way to make their businesses thrive, as long as the intentions are for the betterment of the world, holistically; their values fit with mine. This is a sign that what I am doing and developing is good. Is right, for me and the world. It also allows me to let go of the attachment and focus on the work more. Success, its definition or my belief of what it meant, is changing for me. A metamorphosis in action. Success is enjoying what I am doing and having served the greater good. By serving others I serve myself. The energy is shared and we all access more of the abundance already around us and in us. Service gives more access to the abundance we exist in, that we otherwise don't perceive or get access to.
Closing thoughts
Service has two sides, giving and receiving. Reflecting on this mess of an essay from a structural and linguistic perspective, there are many moments of receiving insights. Where are you aware of receiving? Where are you the beneficiary of Service upon you? I can realise now how lucky I am to be receiving so much. In so many different ways. Today, Service is connected to gratitude is connected to abundance. Energy is not lost, it is merely transformed into a different state. We can decide if we are ready to be part of it. Be open to notice this flow and share your experience.
This essay was featured in Issue 004: Through You, Not About You: The Sacred Path of Service. Read the Full Publication
Tylney Taylor is a contributing writer for The Sacred Business Writer’s Collective focused on helping creative professionals overcome barriers to authentic self-expression. You can follow him on Substack here.
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