The Opening Statement
A Discussion of Life, God, and Our Natural Order
Humble Servant
This leads me to my next major revelation and to the first principle of my belief system. To this point, we have only discussed methods of discerning information.
Thirty-five years ago, I received a cassette tape from a motivational speaker. As I listened and followed along, suddenly—bam—the message cut straight through me. It felt almost like a second baptism. The message itself was simple, but its impact on my life was anything but.
Years later, it became a key validation in what eventually formed my belief system. I now understand why that message struck me so deeply. I don’t believe I was listening to that tape alone. I believe it was inspired by God and delivered to my heart through the voice of Earl Nightingale.
In simple terms, his message was this:
- “Your rewards in life will match the quality and quantity of your service to others.”
- “If you want more rewards, serve more”
If that wasn’t clear enough, he added an important qualifier:
- “You must serve first, then be served.”
Over the years, I tailored Earl’s message to fit my interpretation, often summarizing it in quotes:
You cannot stand in front of a fireplace and demand, “Give me heat, and then I will build a fire.”
To get warmth from a fireplace, many things must be done correctly first. Chopping wood would be a good place to start. People I worked with over the years knew exactly what I meant when I said, “It’s time to chop some wood.”
The second insight was even simpler:
The most rewarding profession in the world is that of the “Humble Servant”.
For a long time, I did not see the spiritual connection in this idea. What I did see was how well it worked in business. If I could help create a culture where our primary focus was the success of those around us—customers, employees, suppliers, even the postman—success would eventually catch up to us.
We had to serve first to be served.
It was like magic dust. If I could make enough happy faces appear around me, before long I would have the happiest face in the room.
Serving others, however, is not merely a business strategy or a kind gesture.
Think about your own life:
Do you not feel a deep sense of fulfillment when you do something meaningful for someone else?
That feeling is universal. Even though it can’t be measured in a physics sense, it is real and undeniable. And it is not only those who receive help who walk away richer.
If you recognize that same sense of satisfaction when serving others, you have already validated Earl Nightingale’s insight for yourself.
How this “magic dust” fits into my belief system—and why it matters far beyond business—will become clear as this discussion continues.