Change Your Questions

By Steve Gwisdalla

Ask any high school senior this question and see what you get in return.

“What do you want to do when…”

When you grow up, finish school, whatever. Ask them that and then ask why? Why do you want to be a doctor or lawyer or basketball player? Usually, it boils down to one thing. Money. Let us be clear. There is nothing wrong with making a lot of money. More is better than less, right?

Let’s fast forward to you and me. How many of us are in the job(s) we thought we were going to be in when we were seventeen? How is the money? Are you where you thought you would be? How close are you to what your teenage answer was? Are you happy with your choices?

If you answered no to any of the above questions, have no fear, The Tribe of Up is here to help. It is not too late for any of us to get a do-over in that regard. The only thing I am going to change about any of this is the question at the beginning of the article. A better question to ask is this.

Who do I want to serve?

There is a spiritual connotation in that question to be sure, but that is not the nature of this article.

Who do I want to serve is a very powerful question to ask. It takes the whole job and career aspect and turns it right onto its head. If you are in a role where you truly serve people in ways that matter to you, then you are in the absolute correct place. It creates an entirely different dynamic when that Monday morning alarm clock goes off. Imagine creating that paradigm with young people. Instead of asking them what they want to be when they grow up, asking them who they would like to serve can instantly change a person’s compass heading of true north.

So, let me ask you, who do you want to serve? Are you doing it? Are you happy? Do you lay head to pillow each night with a sense of satisfaction, knowing you are making the world a better place? Are you creating the right kind of example for your family? Are you advocating for more joy? This idea had its genesis at a café this morning while I was waiting for my carry out order. I overheard a mom talking to her teenage kids and their friends at a table. She talked about school burnout and “chasing it for so long and so hard, you forgot what you started chasing it for.” Then at a table behind me, I overheard two older gentlemen talking about jury duty. One asked the other, “Were you able to serve?” I share that story for a couple of reasons. One, being present in your moments allows all kinds of great things to be experienced. Inspiration is all around us. The second reason is to let you know it took about six hours for those two conversations to percolate in my mind until this came out. Chasing traditional ideals usually begats the usual results. Figuring out who you want to serve can really be like a breath of fresh air. It is why these articles get written every week. Seemingly every week, I have more and more people seeking me out when I am out and about or emailing me telling me how these silly little articles serve them. The Tribe of Up is becoming. It is becoming more than a cute little idea. It is becoming a movement. It is slowly reaching critical mass. Please tell your friends about this. People need up. We must serve those who are seeking up. Who do you want to serve? Decades after graduating high school and college, I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. But I know who I want to serve. And I couldn’t be happier doing it. Steve is a Dexter resident. He is the Owner, Chief Up Officer, Vice President of Being Present and humble servant of Better Place Consulting, a success, career, life and strategic coaching firm. Reach out to him at [email protected].