If I were to take you on a safari to Africa (and it is a must-do for anyone’s “bucket list,”) you would undoubtedly hear our guide speak of “The Big Five.” The phrase refers to the five animals that we simply must see during our time in the bush. They are: the elephant, the black rhino, the Cape buffalo, the lion, and the leopard.
Getting the opportunity to see magnificent African animals in their natural habitat is truly the experience of a lifetime. Seeing all of “The Big Five” makes for the ultimately special trip and an unequalled natural high.
Researchers like Robert Cialdini, from Arizona State University, however, have documented another type of peak emotional experience popularly known in the literature as “the helper’s high.” The helpers’ high is a euphoric feeling, followed by a period of calm, which we experience after performing an act of kindness. All of us have experienced this feeling at one time or the other, but did you know you can build into your life the weekly habit of service that blesses not only yourself but also those around you on a consistently blissful basis? For me, serving others is a natural expression of my Christian faith, but non-religious and religious people alike are involved in helping others and enjoy the great feelings engendered by doing so.
In thinking about the peak experience of serving, I would like to propose that as you support those causes closest to you heart, you don’t forget to also “serve small.” My Fire Your Excuses co-author, Dr. Dayhoff and I, define “serving small” as serving one-on-one, in a deliberate, often anonymous but powerful way. Each week make it your goal to reach out and encourage each of “the Small Five.”
Who are “The Small Five?” They are:
- Your relatives
- Your friends
- Your neighbors
- Your colleagues
- Your customers or those you lead and mentor
Just as seeing any of “The Big Five” on your African safari is an amazing experience, serving any of “The Small Five” during your week is a great moment as well. But, the most fun lies in challenging yourself, in an unhurried but purposeful way, to reach out to each of these five circles.
How might you capture your “small five” by week’s end? These ideas will get you started:
1. Relatives–Think of the happiness you will bring your aunt when you call her “just because.” 2. Friends– Encourage your friend with an unexpected call, note, text or gift. 3. Neighbors—Drop off a small summer treat by their door with a note simply saying, “Enjoy.” 4. Colleagues—Reach out to say you are thinking about them, their challenge or to thank them for their help at work. 5. Your customers and those you mentor—Thank them for their loyalty, send them something you know will help them further their development or they will be sure to enjoy.
Most of all, have fun out there. Consider random of acts of kindness to strangers as well. Buy that guy in line behind you a coffee. “Serve big,” but don’t forget to “serve small.”
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Dr. Bill Dyment, Dyment & Associates, Inc., Co-Author of Fire Your Excuses