Whether you like it or not, there is no way that you are going to be successful in any endeavor – business or otherwise – unless you provide a desired service.
From a business standpoint, you obviously need to offer a product or a service that people are willing to pay for.
From a relationship standpoint, you need to offer the service of bringing something into the lives of others that they enjoy having, and that they want to keep there.
Even from a personal standpoint, happy people are happy in part because they offer services to themselves, such as exercise, healthy living, meditation, spiritual growth, etc.
As my Economics teacher said in high school, “There is no such thing as a free lunch!”
So, if you are experiencing barriers to personal growth, discovering what service you aren’t offering enough of would be a great place to start in order to get the ball rolling in the right direction.
If you are a business owner, but your business growth and your motivation to succeed have hit a plateau, maybe it’s time for you to start offering new products or services that both you and your customers can get excited about. There is always a way to make something better or different than its predecessor.
If your quest for fulfilling personal relationships is not going anywhere, perhaps it is time that you started asking yourself hard questions about what service you can offer to friends or potential mates. If your answer is “I’m just me, and that’s what I have to offer,” then I have another question for you: How’s that working out for you?
If your desire for personal growth is, well, personal, then ask yourself what it is that you could be offering yourself that you presently aren’t. Do you need more educational opportunities? Do you need to experience the world more? Do you need more (or less) responsibility in your life? How can you serve yourself so that you are happier?
As is often the case here at Today is that Day, this post was not just some random thought that came into my head, but rather the result of some hard thinking and some equally hard reminders from the likes of James Arthur Ray, Steve Pavlina, and fellow Positive Blog Network member Laura Young.
I have come to realize recently that despite my extreme pride in the writing that I provide for my audience, and the continued work that I am doing on the community interface (it WILL be done eventually, I promise!), that I have broken a cardinal rule of the Law of Attraction by focusing far too much on the details of how I am going to make everything happen.
As it says in my Statement of Success, my goal is to provide service to others, and although I am 100% confident in the useful and empowering content of this blog, I would be remiss in my duties as a Service Provider if I didn’t put the plane on autopilot once in awhile and go back in the cabin to spend some time with the passengers!
So, that being said, I am officially opening up the floor for discussion about what you would like to see from Today is that Day in the future.
- Is there content that you would like to see on this site that you either aren’t seeing, or aren’t seeing enough of?
- Would you be interested in new product or service offerings centered around personal growth such as guides, coaching, e-classes, teleseminars, etc?
- Is this blog or the blogosphere in general not providing you with something that would help you more than just reading the posts and responding to comments?
In short, what do you want?
I only ask because I am advising you to provide service in order to break down your barriers to personal growth, and I believe in practicing what I preach.
What kind of service provider would I be if I didn’t??
Although I believe that any business should offer a desired and useful service, I think more so that people essentially will buy from you because they like and trust you. Depending on the area we live in, we can all walk down the street and find someone else providing the same service. But I think most of us still patronize the businesses that we are comfortable with and ultimately like and trust the business owners. I think this may be most important. I believe that consumers buy you more so than the actual service or product. I am mainly referring to small business versus big department stores. If the business owner is not happy in his or her life, this may and will effect their bottom line. Sometimes we all need to just take a break and work on ourselves in order to continue to be successful. I don’t see anything wrong with some Personal Growth or Coaching services. I could always use some and don’t think it would hurt anyone else either.
Thomas,
Thanks for your comments! From a business standpoint, I agree. The way that you deliver your service is as important as the service itself. People do tend to hang out with and do business with people that they know, like, and trust.
One of the goals of this post was to point out that the service that you are providing (business or otherwise) may need to be tweaked, improved, or implemented if growth has plateaued.
There are a lot of people who are actively trying to improve their lives or their businesses, yet are still not making much headway. Improving the service that they offer to themselves and others – or the way that they offer that service – can be a great tool for getting the ball rolling in the right direction.
Aaron, great article. I printed it out so that I can read it again to absorb more of your words and put them to use. Thanks.
Patricia,
Thanks, and I’m glad you liked it!
It has always been important for humans to be of service to others, but in today’s hectic world, I think more than ever we need to be reminded to focus on the needs of others in addition to providing for our own happiness and stability.
The great part is that by doing things for others, even if you are getting paid for it, your own happiness and stability will be a side effect!
Aaron, you are sooooo right! We all must be aware of the service we provide and work, every day, to improve it. In coaching, I often find that business owners have less problem with this than W2 employees – particularly those “inside” the company. These folks have to have a break-through to internalize the idea that they have a customer.