Not all decisions are made in the context of service to another person or persons. This pause exists because this model was initially developed in the context of serving people with disabilities and medical conditions. The complexity of decisions made in service can be overwhelming morally, ethically and legally. Yet one cannot serve in a democracy or free society without taking complexity into account. The issues we face are cultural, legal and personal for the people being served. In addition to a deep curiosity regarding the biological and neurological underpinnings of making a decision, I have over the years constructed this model to find a way to train the concept of service that was more authentic and less covertly self-serving. Most models of service tend to be linked to a form of transactional thriving; aimed at the goal of your company or of your personal enterprise doing better if you provide good service. How can we as individuals committed to serving authentically prepare ourselves to be in a service posture in the present moment?  In some ways it is simple in we must know ourselves, and be prepared to set our own selves aside to begin to know the person in front of us. In mastering this first step of knowing ourselves we are ready to serve not only the person in front of us, but also the mission of our organization and the democracy in which we live or aspire  to live. You begin service through a discernment of your Sense of Good and the others Sense of Good. The challenge is to set aside your own Sense as much as possible in order that you may clearly respond to the others Sense of Good.

You can access a guide/worksheet to orient yourself to this Pause by clicking “Your Sense of Service Worksheet below.