0:30 The sages taught that we are created for three purposes:
To learn, to serve, and to perform acts of kindness
We have to connect ourselves to something greater than ourselves, and that takes effort
3:00 Service has two elements: intention and effort; each can exist independent of the other but should be integrated
Good deeds have tangible and intangible benefits
8:00 Not all acts of value can be measured or quantified, yet they are substantive
10:00 It may be my job to serve, I may be getting paid, yet I am still providing service
How I do my job depends on my level of commitment, which may depend on the environment created by those around me
14:00 The value of service depends on effort, either in the moment or in preparation
We should always challenge ourselves to raise the level of our service
16:00 “The Love Languages”
Serving others depends on responding to their wants and needs
18:00 Why were Adam and Eve challenged by the prohibition not to eat?
There mission was to preserve the status quo, but they wanted to be active, not passive, contributors
EGO -- Elbow God Out
22:00 The status quo may be uninspiring but is essential to the foundation of our lives
26:00 Should parents pay children for chores and grades, or does that undermine the precept of service?
Make it fun
Reward vs. bribery: is there a difference?
Incentives for the entire family together to promote collective success:
collective responsibility and rewards
34:00 Responsibility first, reward second
When we all do our jobs, we all benefit
It’s easier to do the job yourself than oversee and cajole children
Holding children responsible for doing jobs and teaching them to do them with joy give them a sense of self-worth, teaches them the value of work, and helps us appreciate one another
40:00 Providing the opportunity to serve teaches them the rewards of success
If it’s better to give than to receive, the greatest gift is the opportunity to give
“Mrs. Smith is doing very well in 4th grade.”
Anything worth doing is doing well
44:00 Is coerced work consistent with service?
The contradiction of “juvenile delinquent”
Levels of responsibility change as we grow and mature
46:30 Service is the key to a happy life
Accept apologies while asserting responsibility
Be gracious when being thanked
Use language with precision to promote a mindset of service
50:00 Love rebuke as an opportunity to improve
53:00 Word of the day: impeach -- to chain or trapped
Be become chained by the consequences of our actions and trapped by the habits we develop
Take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and be patient when others answer
56:00 Johnny Carson broke the rules of humor by drawing attention to his failures