THE ART OF WORKING WITH A PASSION TO SERVE OTHERS
Javier García Iza
CEO
IOS OFFICES
Article from Mexico Business News
We live in a culture that is obsessed with winning. Being first. Turning everything into a competition.
But what happens when all we truly want is to enjoy something without chasing a prize?
I once saw a little boy, about 5 years old, running joyfully around a pool area with a toy airplane in his hand. He was playing, laughing, flying between people without a care in the world. He wasn't showing off, competing or performing. He was just flying for the sake of flying.
He was immersed in what we could call the pure process: doing something out of love, joy, or curiosity, without expecting anything in return.Then his father, a well-known businessman, approached, sat down and asked: Who's winning?
The boy stopped, looked at his plane, then at his dad, then around him … and just kept running as if the question didn't make sense.
Of course not. Who's winning? What does that even mean when you're just flying?
Something breaks in that moment. Because when we inject outcome-thinking into something born out of joy, we corrupt it. What was once pure becomes transactional.
This isn't just a nice story. There are studies that prove it: When people are asked to complete creative or skill-based tasks just for fun, and then later, the same tasks with the promise of a reward, what is the result? In most cases, performance drops when a reward is involved. Why? Because the joy of doing something for its own sake — the pure process — is more powerful than any external motivation.
Work is no different. We've been told happiness comes from salary, job title, or prestige. But it doesn't. Real joy in what we do comes from two simple things: earning your success and serving others.
Earning your success isn't about climbing the ranks or collecting trophies. It means creating real value with your life. That your work is the result of effort, personal responsibility, and intention. That you are proud of what you contribute, not just what you accomplish.
But even more essential: We need to be needed. Human dignity comes from service. From knowing that your work, no matter how small, or grand, makes someone else's life better. That someone is doing better because you are there. That is what gives life meaning. That is where deep joy lives.
And we can´t talk about meaning without talking about friendship. Today, many friendships have become transactional. Contacts, allies, “useful” people. But real friendship has no agenda. It seeks nothing.
We need more “useless” friends — those who don’t serve any practical purpose. Do you have enough of those in your life?
Zoom calls and social media connect us, but they don’t unite us. We've even professionalized relationships. And when that happens, we drift further from real connection: being present, just to share a moment.
That's why the challenge is to be like that boy with the toy airplane: To do things simply for the joy of doing them. To return to the pure process. To plant trees, knowing we may never see the fruit. To hug for the sake of hugging.
To fly just to fly.
Because when we live like that, without obsessing over results, success, the real kind, is usually just around the corner.
And speaking of doing things out of love and purpose, let me tell you about something close to my heart.
I ran my first marathon when I was 21 years old. Ever since, I had dreamed of organizing a race. In 2012, that dream came true with the launch of the IOS OFFICES 5K & 10K Race.
We wanted to create something different, something meaningful, so we built a race with a cause. That first year, we partnered with Instituto Nuevo Amanecer, and thanks to Tyson Foods as our sponsor, we brought together 2,800 runners in Monterrey.
Afterward, I asked my team if they wanted to do it again. Honestly, I thought no one would. But every single one of them said yes.
We were moved by the smiles, the families, the pets, the first-time runners who now qualify for international marathons. That fills our souls.
Since then, the race has expanded to Mexico City and Guadalajara, supporting children suffering from malnutrition through ChildFund and Comedor CMR. Even during the pandemic, we kept it going — virtually — with runners from over 30 cities and 10 countries.
This 2025, I invite you to run with me in Monterrey, Mexico City, or Guadalajara. Join us — let’s run together, and help the children of Mexico.
www.carreraios.com
Mexico Business News offers access to the most relevant information about different industries, including articles of important business leaders, amongst them, our CEO Javier García Iza, who, as an Experto Contributor shares his views on how real joy comes from earning success and serving others.