Fulfillment Through Service
Service—not to be confused with ServIce®—is said to be the biggest act of kindness there is. Just last week I was watching a video of an internal company presentation featuring our Managing Director, Marco Casol. There in Italy, he was addressing an audience of more than 300 PreGel team members from around the world, and, to me, the main topic seemed to be rooted in the notion of fulfillment through service.
At the very beginning of the hour + presentation, Marco shared a bit of his history, driving the point of fulfillment with these words:
“I am a gelato maker. I am a son of gelato makers. I’m a grandson of gelato makers, and I’m a great grandson of gelato makers. You could say that I was born in a gelato pan. I spent most of my early life in gelato labs or behind gelato counters. While my friends were having fun at the pool, I was decorating gelato. I hated it.
So, two things happened in my life. The first: my mom came to me and said, ‘If you want to be happy, you need to do what you love. You need to follow your passion.’
So I Ieft. I went for my studies. And now I was learning interesting things. I was having fun with cool people, but I still wasn’t happy.
Second thing that happened in my life 18 years ago: A friend of mine introduced me to Dr. Rabboni. It took him five minutes to pull me back to the gelato world that I had rejected for such a long time…five minutes. It took him two minutes to hire me (thank you). It took him one minute to tell me ‘You’re going to the United States.’
So I went to the United States. I was in a new city with a new culture, surrounded by new people. I was alone with endless challenges, you can imagine. But, for the first time in my life, I was happy.
Why did I find this speech particularly inspiring? Because the message that came through to me was this: even when circumstances are challenging, through purpose and service, therein lies true fulfillment.
[bctt tweet=”Even when circumstances are challenging, through purpose and service, therein lies true fulfillment.” username=””]
We are in the business of service. Each day we ask people, “How are you?” How may I help you?” “What can I get for you?” And with those questions, we are helping people. It’s not always easy, but it is a responsibility. And the feeling of happiness and fulfillment that comes from living your purpose and doing something you love is amplified when other people can benefit from it.
In this industry, service is not only our bread and butter (or gelato and toppings?, pastry and filling?, beverages and flavor?), but it’s also a form of gratitude to those we serve for essentially helping us to live our dream, making being kind and offering quality service a win-win situation. And what is more fulfilling than that?
Bravo to you for the service you provide.
