We often make life more complicated than it needs to be. Simple is powerful. The closer we get to truth, the simpler and more powerful the principles and lessons become. There's nothing more powerful than Love, Serve and Care. In a world filled with complicated success programs these are the 3 greatest success strategies of all from my bestselling book The Carpenter.
LOVE
It all starts with love. Steve Jobs said it best, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.”
When you love what you do you will embrace all the challenges, adversity and rejection to keep doing what you love. If you don’t love it you won’t persevere through all the obstacles to become great at it. The key then is to do what you love and love what you do. If, in your current job, you aren’t doing what you love then you can find things to love about what you do.
Love is also the greatest leadership and team building principle, customer service strategy and sales technique on the planet. Regardless of title or profession to be human is to love and want to be loved.
Love is what separates good and great. Good teachers know their lesson plans. Great teachers also know and love their students. Good coaches know X and O’s. Great coaches also know and love their players. Good sales people know how to sell. Great sales people also love their clients. Good leaders know their vision and purpose. Great leaders also know and love their people.
It’s simple. Greatness is built with love.
SERVE
Because you love, you serve. Serving is love in action. Service takes many forms. You can wash feet, march for civil rights, serve sandwiches, help the needy, feed the poor, build schools and wells in Africa, assist the elderly, serve your customers, patients, and students, and coach others to greatness. The ways are endless but all acts of service put the needs of others before your own.
Great leaders serve the people they lead. Great companies serve their clients. Great hospitals serve their patients interests before their own. Great schools know they exist to serve the growth and development of their students. Great coaches serve their players. Great leaders don’t succeed because they’re great. They succeed because they bring out the greatness in others.
You don’t have to be great to serve but you have to serve to be great. The ironic part of serving is that when you serve and help people improve and grow, you improve and grow. When you lose your ego in the service of others you find the greatness within you.
CARE
When you love and serve you find ways to show that you care. You make people feel important and let them know that they matter. You focus on all the details because everyone and everything matters.
When you care you stand out in a world where so many don’t seem to care. You do more, give more, become more, and create more. People sense your care and they flock to you and your work. The world takes notice and you inspire people around you to care.
When you care you become a craftsman/craftswoman instead of a carpenter. A carpenter builds things but a craftsman/craftswoman puts their heart, soul, spirit and passion into their craft. Instead of creating something ordinary a craftsman/craftswoman creates and builds something great.
#LOVESERVECARE
Many people say to focus on growing your business. But I say to focus on loving, serving and caring and your business will grow exponentially. Focus on loving, serving and caring one person at a time and people will be drawn to your business, service, school, hospital, etc. When you love, serve and care you not only change your heart and mind, you change the hearts and minds of the people around you.
It’s not complicated but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s easy to be scattered. It’s easy to focus on the outcome instead of the process. It’s easy to focus on the numbers instead of people. The path to greatness isn’t easy but it is simple. Do what you love. Serve others. Show you care. Do this day in and day out, one person at a time and the impact you have and the legacy you leave will be truly great. You won’t just have success. You will help others be successful and this is the true measure of success.
-Jon
