Jun 23

Jun 23 Gratitude Begets Service: Embracing your Inner Student and Teacher

Hi, I’m Liz Moser, and I’m a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach.

Each week I write a blog and shoot a video. While I have the certifications that I worked very hard for and my personal experience in living an intentional, healthful life, I’m also merely another grateful lifelong learner, just like you. I’m both a teacher and a student, like all of us.

When I show up with a video and a blog each week, I’m attempting to express my gratitude for life and be of service to others. Yes, I put myself in a position of authority, yet please don’t forget we all are at times both teachers and students, and I'm no exception.

The time I spend synthesizing my thoughts and writing my blogs is a time of reflection and growth for me. It’s an opportunity to refresh and deepen my knowledge on whatever subject I’m exploring that week. When you read or watch and then respond, you, in turn, are being of service to me.

For those who resonate with my weekly videos, that’s wonderful! For the viewers who share their thoughts in the comments about their journeys, that’s even better! Thank you for allowing all of us to learn from you.

Each week I share my thoughts or perspectives or something I think is interesting or helpful, and if it resonates with someone, that’s wonderful and means my effort was worth it.

If it doesn’t hit the mark with you, I still had the opportunity to think deeply about a topic, through my writing and recording. The act of sharing supports the giver.

Furthermore, this is a useful exercise in letting go of the outcome. I put time and effort into writing, editing, and recording a video about a topic that’s timely, relevant, or heartfelt for me, and then I post it.

I have no idea how it will land with others. Sometimes it resonates with many of you, and other times I see that just a few of my clients respond.

This is an excellent practice for my ego to take a back seat and remember that the process is the teacher perhaps more so than the outcome. If it rings true for many of you, if it represents a new concept or if someone grows even a bit from my efforts, that is beautiful! However, it’s a worthwhile exercise to work at a project, have a lukewarm response now and then, and keep doing it anyway.

Executing something because you are called to do it because it supports you and helps you grow even if you aren’t getting a great deal of positive external feedback, builds internal strength, and resolve. An essential principle of service is its detachment from the outcome.

Lastly, I am both a certified wellness coach and a lifelong learner, both a teacher and a student, just like you. When you read and respond to my weekly videos, you are of service to me. Yet, no matter the external response, I receive the process of writing each week deepens my knowledge. Ultimately, the process is our teacher. Lastly, writing and recording blogs and videos is an exercise in letting go of the outcome. For me, they are a weekly act of service.

Remember, a fulfilling life is one where we give and receive, where we experience gratitude and express service, where we are both teachers and students.

OK, so now it’s your turn. Here are some journaling prompts:

How do gratitude and abundance beget acts of service in your life?

Also,

Where in your life do you show up repeatedly, while letting yourself feel vulnerable?

And,

How do you express both your inner teacher and student?

I’m Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and thank you for reading this blog. If you have any questions about this blog, about health and wellness or wellness coaching with me, please reach out through my website at lizmosercoaching.com.