Top 6 Things to Do to Improve Your Service

1. Do everything, even the smallest task, with all your heart and soul. Do not measure what you're doing by how large a service you think it is. Measure what you're doing by the sense of value you create within yourself. You may never know whom you are serving; just as you may never know that someone nearby may be watching, see the effort you are making, and reward you for it.

2. Look for holes that you can fill. Ask people in your profession or industry what they're missing. What do they need? What are some of their challenges? What would help them run their life or business better? When you find out what's missing, use your knowledge, tools, and experience to fill that gap.

3. Give of your time, not just your money. Even if it's just an hour here or there, it is much needed and will be much appreciated. If nothing else, you are guaranteed to meet some wonderful people who are also giving their time. The world needs more people who give with their hands and minds, not just pay or pray.

4. No matter what you're doing, enjoy the process of serving. Don't do something of service to others if it is a chore. Those whom you are serving will know if you do so freely or because you feel you have to. Have fun, get involved, enjoy your times of service, and help others enjoy it too.

5. Share your knowledge with as many people as you can. Don't be afraid that others will steal your ideas. The more you give, the more you get. As William Danforth, founder of the Ralston Purina Company and author of I Dare You! once said, "Our most valuable possessions are those which can be shared without lessening; those which, when shared, multiply; our least valuable possessions are those which, when divided, are diminished."

6. Make a list of every area in which you have knowledge or skill. What do you know that can benefit others? List everything, whether it has to do with your profession, hobbies, interests, or personal experience. From that list, see if you can put together some product or service that can make others' lives easier. Then make a list of those you think could be helped by your product or service. Don't always expect an immediate reward for service you provide. Often the inner reward you get is greater than any other compensation.

   To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.

   —Douglas Adams,
   English novelist