Talkin' with Trav: Service brings magical rewards

The health clinic opened its doors to more than 2,000 people during the first week, and it is estimated that more than 20,000 people this year will receive health care services there. Kamala’s son was able to receive the treatment he needed, and he continues to visit the health clinic when needed with his mother.

Jessica recalls, “The Nepalese people are the kindest, happiest, most grateful people. After my trip to Nepal, I promised myself to never complain again about problems in the U.S. We are very blessed.”

In fact, according to Chad Hymas, who was inducted into the prestigious National Speaker's Hall of Fame, “If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won’t survive this week. If you never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world. If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75 percent of this world.”

When we focus so much on ourselves and our own well-being. We miss the chance to look around and bless the lives of others within our own circle of influence.

When you give to another person, you are, in essence, admitting that you have an understanding of the grand scheme of human kindness. You are living on a level beyond selfishness, beyond greed, beyond your personal needs. You are living in your higher self.

Service to others is about giving something that no other human on earth could possibly give — you!

Looking for a great way to serve others? Jessica has an answer to help serve those close to you.

“I have a checklist I call the worry list. Whomever is on that list I make sure I call them everyday and I just listen.”

It is about finding what is rare and divine in your soul that you would like to share with the world. Service to others is about digging deep into the caverns of your abilities, your talents and your personality, and finding the gift that you want to share with humanity.

The Scottish evangelist Henry Drummond once said, “You will find, as you look back on life, that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others.”

In the application of service, the toughest thing to give is your time. It is is a priceless gift and one all of us possesses. Do we spend it well?

I am in awe of how immersed people become in the routine of helping others and how they create and then convey it, teach it, fine-tune it and shape it, to its final beautiful story.

After years of watching special people like Jessica do good around the world and seeing all the inspiration it has provided others, I am left humbled, inspired and, once again, amazed at the power of service to unite and connect people soul to soul.

Nepal is half a world away, but the magical rewards of service can be at all of our doorsteps.

Travis Hansen is a former BYU, NBA (Atlanta Hawks) and Euroleague basketball player. He co-founded the Little Heroes Foundation and is married with three children.