Being a Blessing to Others

Are you truly thankful for all that you have been blessed with? Do you share that blessing with others? I still remember the excited anticipation on my children’s faces on Christmas morning as they watched to see my expression when I opened their handmade gifts. Their hope was that I would be thrilled with the gift they had given me and that gave them great joy. This is truly what giving is all about, the joy of doing something for someone else with no expectations in return. Sadly, as we grow older, that joy and excitement at Christmas can turn to a feeling of overwhelming work and toil to go out and buy a gift for someone because that is what you “must do” this time of year. And for a few, it changes to anticipation of what they will get, and possible disappointment when they do not get what they were hoping for. Let’s be honest, more than a few of us have fallen into that category. Sadly, much of the business world has become just that. Corporations, and even small businesses, push to see what they can get out of their employees and how little they can give the employee in return. They call that maximizing the profit margin and we think that to be a good thing. But is that truly what we want out of life? Is it all about seeing how much you can get out of your employee while paying them as little as you can to maximize profit? My most favorite employer was one whom we had an unspoken goal to see how much we could out give the other. I pushed as hard as I could to produce results (out try to out give him) and he rewarded me as much as he could financially to try and out give me. It was a wonderful relationship and greatly productive and both sides prospered. Then sadly we were bought out and it turned 180 degrees. The corporation laid people off (to improve the bottom line) and started cutting back salaries and bonuses. Productivity and profits declined almost immediately. My job satisfaction rapidly dwindled as well, and I moved on shortly thereafter seeking a company that would better appreciate my efforts.

So how do you as a business owner or manager run your business? Be honest with yourself, as it is not too late to make changes. Is it to get as much as you can out of your team/employees while rewarding them as little as possible, all for the sake of a better bottom line? What if you tried to out give your employees and loved on them, showing them the respect they deserve? What if you were excited about seeing their faces light up each time they got their next paycheck or bonus? How would that change your company, how would you feel knowing you have not just helped someone to survive but rather to thrive? Is that not what God has called us to do, to think of others before ourselves? When growing up I went to a boys camp where the motto was (and I believe still is) “The Other Fellow First.” What a great motto to live by! When you brighten someone else’s life, you will be amazed and how much you brighten your own life! As a business owner, my objective is to always put my client’s needs before my own. It gives me great joy to help another business succeed and to give them as much as I can as we work together. I know in the short term it may cost me financially (but the rewards are great emotionally and spiritually) but I also know that in the end the financial rewards will be great too! Go forth and prosper, but in the right way.