Do It Anyway

I get a lot of customer service ideas at church. Yep, church. I used to think it was odd, too, but now I realize why. A major component of church is service. At church, we're told to serve our maker, serve the less fortunate, and serve each other.

Service is service, whether you're serving the needy, serving your team, or serving your customers. The underlying theme is always the same: put others' needs in front of your own and things tend to work out ok for everybody.

At a recent church service (there's that word again), I heard a fantastic poem from Mother Teresa. Well, not directly from her or you would have heard about that on the news. Someone read this poem. This poem is so fantastic, I can't believe I hadn't heard it before. Some sources say this was actually found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's room. I'm not going to comment on this poem afterward, I'd just like you to read it and let it inspire you to a higher level of service.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

-- attributed to Mother Teresa