Customer service is thus much more than giving service, it is about being a servant. Service is a transient act, while being a servant is a state of mind and a way of being. It reflects more than core competencies and skills; it integrates core values and the soul of your service. What is your core ideology? What do you stand for? Phrases like "mark my word" and "you have my word" along with a handshake were once honored as if written in stone or sworn on a stack of Bibles. Perhaps we need to get back to the basics such as please, thank you, be polite and other good manners. A personal benefit of please and thank you is that please helps us clarify and focus on what we desire, and thank you maintains an attitude of gratitude, which supports a feeling of abundance and attracts prosperity. We also need to bury blame and resurrect responsibility. Remember, even though a situation may not be your fault, it still may be your responsibility to fix it. Honor also needs to be revived. Try greeting each and everyone you meet with a sense of reverence, regard, and respect and begin to make miracles. All change begins from the inside out. It all begins with you. It's your call. Life is a feast and most poor fools are starving.

Opportunities are everywhere. Chasing customers is like herding cats. Peter Drucker states the purpose of business is not to make a sale, but to make and keep a customer. In other words, when the sale ends, the selling begins. Customer service is selling with integrity and making a commitment to the relationship. When Vince Lombardi said, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing," he was referring to football, not customer service. Customer care is not about competition, but cooperation and collaboration. The rules in sports are not universal laws. Know your game, the league you're in, what balls you're hitting and where you want them to fall. Be a risk-taker, not a risk-wisher who merely goes with the flow. A risk-taker creates the flow. Unlike a couple of decades ago, bigger is not necessarily better or more beautiful. Stay in your niche to avoid the ditch! Know who you are, what you want, and whom you want to attract as customers to best fit your niche. Believe in yourself and your customers will trust and believe in you. Lombardi also said, "Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence." How we view others is a reflection of our own thoughts, feelings and behaviors. All change begins from the "insight" out. Ignite your intuitive intelligence and tune into your wise mind to hear your inner voice of wisdom and direct knowing. The choices are yours. As Kenny Rogers sings in The Gambler, "You've got to know when to hold them, you've got to know when to fold them, you've got to know when to walk away and know when to run. Knowing what to throw away and what to keep. Every hand is a winner."

Honor the winner in you, the winner in your employees or internal customers, and honor those customers who give you life — and your job! A greeting from India, namaste, sums it all up. It means the light, the love; the God in me greets the light, the love, the God in you. Namaste!

Edie Raether is a Change Strategist and internationally recognized speaker, trainer, and coach. She is an authority on breakthrough thinking, innovative intelligence, influence, and customer service. Contact her at  edie@raether.com.or 704-658-8997.  Visit her website at www.raether.com