Be There

The other morning, my wife and I were taking a walk and watched as a woman burst out of her apartment, ran to her car, and sped off. She was in her work uniform, so we could only surmise that she was running late for work.

Watching this event prompted some questions and thoughts in my mind.
Could she not get up on time that morning?

Did she not have time to prepare to be where she knew she needed to be when she needed to be there?

And, thinking about all of us, are we willing to only run when we’re late for a boss who pays us and has the power to discipline us and terminate our employment if we’re late?

What about our other relationships? What do we do when we’re running late for a family event, a date, or even just to meet someone we’d told we’d meet? Do we run then, or do we take our time because we know they can’t really “fire” us?

And, what about when someone needs our help?

How fast are we to act when we see a friend, a family member or even a stranger who needs our help? Do we run to help them?

Sometimes, I’m afraid, we’re only willing to run to work so we don’t get docked for tardiness, but we take a less urgent attitude towards others we know or who we know are in trouble.

Please don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying you shouldn’t take a lackadaisical attitude toward your job or toward your boss. Whether on salary or getting paid hourly or even as a consultant, you made a commitment to those who employ you. They certainly deserve your promptness and timeliness. You should be there when you agreed you’d be there. Nothing I say should give you any ideas to the contrary.

So, here’s your challenge for today:

If you’ve made a commitment to be somewhere today at a certain time, be there.

Do all you can to prepare all you need ahead of time so you don’t get caught unprepared at the last minute. Do what you need to do before you need to get out the door.

Also, if you see someone who needs your help, try and treat the situation as you would if they were your boss and you are expected to be on time. Rush to them, assess their needs and help them any way you can.

Helping and serving others sometimes requires our speed and efficiency. It us up to us, those who have the resources to give and to help, to reach out to those who do not.

Can you start today, right now, and make a commitment to all in your circle of friends, family, coworkers and associates to value their time as much as you value your own?

Can you remember today that someone needs your help, and they may need it quickly?

Can you respond to the needs of others with the same sense of urgency that those in need feel about the situation?

I know you can.

I know you will.

Why?

Because that’s the kind of person you are. You care about others. You value your time and you are learning to value the time of others.

Thank you so much for reading today’s challenge. I appreciate you, and I really do appreciate the few minutes you take out of your day to come to my blog an learn how to serve others.

Please feel free to share this post. You may Digg it, Stumble it, forward it in an email, retweet it or repost it on your Facebook wall.

You are awesome – you understand that Service is the Action Form of Love.

James