Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:
Keep your gas tank full
And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…
When I was in college, a friend of mine had an annoying habit of picking up hitchhikers, which he did one afternoon while we were riding together. About a quarter mile later, my friend pulled over again. But this time it was because his car died. Or, more precisely, it ran out of gas. Our new hitchhiking pal suggested we were a couple of losers (for running out of gas).
I remember thinking unkind thoughts about both the hitchhiker and my friend that day (just for a few minutes). But, now, years later, I admire my friend’s spirit of service. That he was willing to reach out and help a complete stranger says a lot about him. And, the “running out of gas” incident provided a memorable lesson when combined with the “picking up a hitchhiker” event.
If you want to give someone else a ride, you need to have gas in your own tank.
As we work to provide amazing customer service for others, it’s easy to forget to care for ourselves and make sure our needs are getting met too. But if we don’t the consequences can range from irritating to devastating.
Today make a list of at least 10 things you can do to keep your gas tank full. Include things that nurture your body, your brain and your soul. Then make sure you do at least one of these every day.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Kevin,
Right on! A few years ago I was in a particularly ambitious period of my life. Big daily to-do list, flying all over the country, 4 hours of sleep a night, etc. I was hitting all my goals. Felt good…felt great!
Then I broke down. My body gave up. Health was suffering, heart palpitations(from living on coffee), irritability and lack of time/attention affecting relationships, and so on. I had hit the wall — hard!
I had to take a time out. I had to take care of myself. Had to refill my gas tank. There is no getting around this as it’ll catch up to us eventually Mentally, emotionally, physically — we can only go so far before it’s time to refill. If I can’t do for myself then I surely won’t be able to do for others — at least not for very long.
Relevant to how we take care of our employees, too: keep their gas tanks filled so they can pick up those hitchhikers day after day.
It’s one of those rare cases where in order to serve others we really do need to be self-serving, first ; )
Thanks for the reminder!
Russ
Seattle, WA
http://twitter.com/russhatfield
Yes – we need to care for ourselves so we can continue to care for others.
Thanks for commenting Russ!
KS