I aspire to cultivate a deeper sense of service in my everyday actions. Service is the rendering of action for the benefit of others. The only way to truly deliver value to others is to be completely present.
On a deeper level, it comes down to serving the moment and valuing what I bring to each moment. In this life, is not time our most precious commodity? Everything else can be bought and bartered, but time alone affords no replacement. How I manage my time is the most important decision I can make.
For me, the key to managing my time well is starting my day in the right way. If I wake up at 6 am in a rested state of mind and complete my morning ritual I have a productive day. My morning routine is about four hours long and involves exercise, meditation, eating breakfast, as well as doing some inspirational reading, writing, and thinking. It’s a consistent process that I go through each day to set the trajectory of my day. Most importantly, it puts me in a proactive state of mind instead of a reactive one.
I have found that successfully cultivating discipline in the morning is a function of creating the right conditions the night before. Settings a plan for my day, preparing my clothes, preparing breakfast. I wake up and I don’t have to think. More importantly, I don’t give myself a chance to think about all the reasons I’d rather stay in bed or waste time.
If I manage my time properly, I can make time to enjoy time. I can be more fully present in each moment without thinking about the previous one or the next one. If I can be more present, I can truly serve.
In the broadest sense, serving the moment is about being the best that I can be right now so that I can serve others in the best possible way. Being the best I can be right now means having all of my attention completely focused on the present. Otherwise, I’m just selling myself, the moment, and everyone around me short.