To be or not to be…that is the question.
When it comes to volunteering and helping others, it most certainly is.
I strongly believe that there are 2 types of people who volunteer – those who truly want to give their time freely and those who simply put in their time because they think it’ll look good to their peers.
Well that’s fair. I can definitely understand doing something because it enhances your resume or because it gains respect amongst your friends/co-workers.
But what happened to doing something because it was the right thing to do?
I’ve been volunteering because I have the ability to help others. Mostly my volunteer hours have been spent teaching sports to kids. I think that’s due in large part to being involved in sports my whole life and seeing the positive impact they had on my childhood. Having the ability to give back, to me, is the greatest gift of all. And the best thing about giving your time freely to kids is that they appreciate you for doing that. When you show up and give your best to them, you’ll get their best back. It’s an incredible thing.
I also owe a lot of my volunteer spirit to my parents, both of whom I was very lucky to have had growing up. Whenever Mother’s Day is near, I reflect back on my time spent with my mom and I realize just how lucky I was to have had a mother who gave so much of herself to make sure I had the opportunities that I had – it was truly incredible.
I ask you to think about why you do/don’t volunteer. I’d love to hear your inspirations/stories!