What Services Above Self Means To Me

2 Pages 588 Words

“What Services above Self Means To Me”

When I was a little girl my mother told me that “it takes an entire village to raise a single child.” Of course she told me this in response to my cries about being scolded by the lady who lived above us for playing in the street. But, what she said left a lasting impression on me.

Today, although I do have healthy self-esteem, I realize that I am but a component of my community, and that the strength of any fabric is never any stronger than the strength of its weakest thread. My community is my fabric and I want to be a positive contributor to my community. The thread that I am, wants to be strong and I am, but not at the expense of my community, my state or my country. I know that I have to have a healthy balance of desire to succeed, individually, and self sacrifice, because a better me makes a better community, and a better community enables me with greater opportunity.

To me, “Service above Self” means that I would work at the Animal Shelter, as I do, and devote most of my free time to volunteer work by helping people less fortunate than I am. But, these are things I derive much pleasure from. I enjoy helping people. I believe even more so, however, that “Service Above Self” is what happens when you sacrifice yourself and give the fruit of your soul. It is when you extend yourself with no concern for reimbursement or even losses. It is the thing you did purely because was the right thing to do.

In many ways, my education is like service above self, because I devote a lot of myself to my studies. Studies that eventually will lead to a career in helping people. Helping people will enhance my life and add to the lives of future generations. The solidity of future generations will add to the quality of life for my family and myself and improve my community.

I want to make that “village” that helped raise me proud, and I’m ...