LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE: TEN INSPIRATIONAL LESSONS FROM MANDELA'S LIFE

LESSON TWO: LIVE A LIFE OF SERVICE

The best use of life

We have often heard the saying that the best use of life is to spend it in the service of others. In our own way, we all have something to give and we should not hesitate to do so. Your time here on earth and what you use it for is all that counts in the long run. And the value of your life appreciates when you serve/help others.

Not only does serving others give meaning to our lives, it is also one of the ways to personal happiness. One of the things that keep people from being truly happy is when they focus too much on themselves.

Focusing too much on yourself will only magnify your problems and leave you dissatisfied. It is one of the many paradoxes in life that the more happiness you make happen for others, the happier you become.

This is the natural law of growth; anything that will multiple or grow must be shared. When you focus on helping people and meeting their needs or offer a kindness or service, you become more relevant and make more impact.

Every successful business, company or person is only successful in direct proportion to how effective they are in meeting a need or in rendering a service.

From his early adulthood, almost every choice Mandela made reflected his deep commitment to serving others. As a young man living in apartheid South Africa, Mandela risked everything, even his life, for the cause of a free and equal society. Together with Oliver Tambo, Mandela founded the first black law firm in Johannesburg offering legal aid services to the poor blacks of South Africa and often doing so for free.

His commitment to serving people was so strong that even in prison, Mandela found ways to be of use and value. While in prison Mandela often helped the prison guards write their official promotion letters and was a source of inspiration and courage to his fellow inmates, many of whom said they never would have been able to go through those years without the moral/mental leadership that Mandela provided.

Instead of focusing on the bad things in his life and all the unpleasant things that life threw at him, he was able to rise above them and find ways to do something for others. In retirement, Mandela never stopped serving, channeling his energies towards raising awareness and money for HIV/Aids and other issues.

You don’t have to start big

Another crucial lesson to learn from Mandela about service is that you should start anywhere and in any way that you can without making money or fame the object. This is somewhat of a counter culture but focusing more on how many people you can help even with your business is a sure fire route to success. Meeting a need and giving value should be your aim because in the end, money and fame invariably follows since people will always pay for a service they need.

Whether in business, politics, life and relationships, let the need to help others and make a difference propel your actions. This is often what makes men like Mandela inspirational. They used their dreams to serve people even before the world celebrated them for it.