Being Yourself When You Serve (Part I)
Powerful Ways The Service Environment Reveals & Tests Our Ability to Be Our Authentic Selves Probably the most played out bit of wisdom we get from people of all positions and disciplines is encouragement to “just be you” rather than whatever you think people expect of you. It’s something we always do well to be […]
MoreMastering Something Means Mastering Your Need For Instant Gratification | Ep. 12
How to master skills, which then shape us into people that are even more awesome. Reveals the value of sticking with something especially when it gets boring and repetitive.
MoreHonoring Simple Moments or Embracing New Experiences? The Importance of Both At The Same Time
Originally written for the Be Here Now Network. Check out the original article here. “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” -T.S. Eliot It’s many years ago, and a much younger Stefan is in the […]
MoreSearching For Significance: Serving Means Directing People To Their Highest Selves | Ep. 11
Skillful ways of speaking to the highest place in people without seeming manipulative. People are awesome and it’s in your best interest to discover that.
MoreService That Connects When It Could Divide: Interview w/ Angie Vroom | Ep. 10
Conversation with meditation teacher Angie Vroom on the crucial marriage of spirituality with activism, social justice and critical thinking.
MoreBeing Your True Self Is Not What You Think It Is: Interview w/ David Tian | Ep. 09
Discussion with self-development coach David Tian about being yourself…and the surprising ways that really being yourself means being focused beyond it.
MoreAbundance Consciousness – How Minimalism Makes It Unexpectedly Better
The most recent Serve Conscious podcast episode was about living with an abundance mentality. The concept might have seemed more controversial than I first considered and probably would have benefitted from a more thorough explanation of what it is and what it is not. In case there are fears that this idea conflicts with your […]
MoreThe Importance of an Abundance Mindset (Not Just On Thanksgiving) | Ep. 08
How to serve anything well through generosity – having a sense of endless resources and an enthusiasm for sharing them.
MoreEverything Improves When You Live As An Information Gatherer | Ep. 07
Mastering the art of information gathering to free you from the challenges of difficult people.
MoreThe Art of Mentoring w/ Jeremy Moreau | Ep. 06
We discuss service culture around the world and Jeremy’s educational program that mentors service professionals in a more mindful and holistic way.
MoreSuccess & Happiness = Being The “Supply” Rather Than The “Demand”
For the first time in awhile, I don’t have a management role where I work. Right now, all I want to do is moonlight at a restaurant, rather than invest the hours into running some aspect of it. Currently, I have too much else to do. So I’m not a leader there. Technically. However, that […]
MoreNext Level Conscientiousness: Engineering Unique Moments | Ep. 05
Service principles that put mindfulness to work; service mindsets that can provide you with success in every area of life.
MoreTaking The Higher Ground With Skill, Strength & Compassion | Ep. 04
Stealthily sweet techniques for dealing with difficult people and situations without being confrontational.
MoreMeditation: The Most Powerful Tool For Upgrading The Way We Serve | Ep. 03
Learn how to meditate effortlessly and adapt powerful ancient principles to your daily life.
MoreServers With Attitude: When & Why We Love Them | Ep. 02
A look at the phenomenon of “snarky server” restaurants and bars. What attracts people to them and, more importantly, what is repelling them from somewhere full of friendly accommodating staff.
MoreGood Service = Self Awareness: Interview w/ Kevin von Behren | Ep. 01
Founder of Fly Awake Tea House in Portland Oregon shares his deep sense of service and what it takes to create a unique gathering space.
MoreService to Others Would Be Easy…If Satisfying Needs Wasn’t Such An Ethical Challenge
Originally written for the Be Here Now Network. What is service? On the surface, it sounds so simple: the act of identifying needs and working to fulfill them. Service is often thought of as oriented to others, but the target should just as often be yourself. Service is often thought of as a professional imperative (i.e. […]
MoreLessons From Service & Moviegoing: Let Others Be The Hero & You Always Win
How do we end up rooting for anti-heros? Film and television characters that aren’t 100% virtuous have always managed to get our full support. They don’t always do the right thing, but we want them to succeed at whatever they are doing (even if it’s something with questionable morality). In a sense, we aren’t cheering […]
MoreThe Japanese Fisherman Story: All We Need To Know About Service…And Life
I used to think I took the art of service seriously…until I encountered tea ceremony. Both the Chinese & Japanese ways of tea have changed my life in different ways. Each have different priorities, and this article will focus on the Japanese tradition to reveal an aspect of service that I think no one trying […]
MoreWhy Service Is Difficult & How To Thrive In The Face of Its Challenges (Part II)
In part I of this article, I illustrated my current easier-than-usual work environment where I still find tremendous challenges to serving others. I’ve found that this is because of the innate limitations of being human and connecting to other humans. This exercise has allowed me to look at the finer points of service and […]
MoreWhy Service Is Difficult & How To Thrive In The Face of Its Challenges (Part I)
Years ago, I retired from the bar/restaurant industry to take my meditation knowledge further and become trained as a teacher. Last year, I returned. For love, fascination…and, yeah…for money. I was excited to be back in my element. And dreading it a bit since I know the industry can take its toll on ones health […]
MoreWelcome To The Family: Hospitality As A Spiritual Practice
Originally written for the Be Here Now Network. Check it out here. A 2007 study by political scientist RD Putnam discovered that people are more likely to socially retreat when in ethnically diverse environments. Our tendency to hide away and avoid connecting to those that seem different than us was the focus of Grace Rodriguez’ […]
MoreOvercoming Impostor Syndrome
In different stages of life, we all have holes in our game that we hope others don’t see. “Impostor syndrome” is the belief that we are riddled with deficiencies. That we are fundamentally lacking in something (i.e. reliable skills) that makes us the useful, valuable human we are somehow obligated to be – and we’re just around the corner from being found out. The most successful people on the planet continue to get struck by this feeling every time they put themselves out there in a big way. But, everyday, even the smallest interactions can trigger it.
MoreThe Ego Is Not What You Think It Is: 3 Ways To Make It Your Friend
The ego is often misunderstood as something you need to get rid of. It’s more like a part of you that needs to be kept healthy. Those mystical experiences where the ego “dissolves” is more of a chokehold being released from your true self – the ego’s still there, just non-attached, not defining and limiting your experience. I discuss the unexpected ways that “enlarging” it helps you break out of its limitations. And provide some useful techniques that you can use to strengthen your ego so you can serve everything better and just generally live your full potential.
MoreOne Encounter, One Opportunity: How Modern Bartenders Realized That It’s Not About Making Great Drinks.
My first love affair with service and restaurants was with bartending just as it was becoming a highly respected craft in the Western world. However, the eastern approach revealed how much we were missing. How the Japanese Way of Tea and the one-pointed path of the Shokunin is just beginning to reveal the possibilities of serving as true hospitality people.
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