Many people understand that a part of their life is to be of service to someone or something. Our military and elected officials are expected to understand the terms; they are in service. For others, such as medical fields, farmers, truckers, train engineers, contractors, and waiters in any establishment, they understand that their efforts are providing a service. If your efforts are good enough, your product will sell by enriching them in some way. The service is necessary; everyone trusts it, while few really appreciate the importance of the work of service providers.
Somewhere along the path to success, many people forget that they too are a service provider and that their end customer must believe that their service is worth paying for. Actors, actresses, athletes, and most of the entertainment industry seem to be haunted by the idea that they don’t need anyone once they achieve success. They have lost sight of the person who carries the wallet that is opened to pay for his performance and the importance of that person to his continued good fortune. They look down on all the trades and industries that exist to fill their wallets by making their success possible. Is it any wonder your customers have decided it’s not worth the effort and don’t want to spend their hard-earned money on those who are so disrespectful to them and their efforts? Is this surprising? hardly.
Perhaps no one is as oblivious to their own job description as elected officials. They are elected by popular vote for one reason only; they are sent to fulfill the wishes of those who voted for them. It’s a heady experience leaving the oblivion of being unknown and suddenly finding that reporters and broadcasters find your opinion valuable. Many assume celebrity status when they discover there are opportunities around every corner to receive shards; many are offered ‘sweet’ deals to do the bidding of people who never gave them the chance to make those decisions. Pay close attention to senators and representatives and who they represent. You may find it very surprising that many states are seemingly represented by people who could never share the values of their voters; they refuse to protect their interests. This has become a scourge in the United States and around the world. People are misrepresented by those they trusted with their vote; the rewards for disrespecting your constituents are great. The injury and pain they inflict on the unassuming victims who trusted them and empowered them can be heartbreaking.
America was built on the backs of working men and women who understood that they were providing a service to others; they were proud to do it. An honest day’s work for fair wages is a source of pride; humility, honor and integrity are built through those efforts. We are better people when we understand that ‘we have to serve someone’. Doing it with honor is the highest mark of achievement; Choosing not to reward people who don’t respect your efforts is the highest mark of integrity. Making good decisions about who we support with our money or our vote has never been more important. America speaks loudest with its wallets and its vote. We should make it count, every time.