“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”
To try and answer some of those questions, we wanted to share with you why we volunteer…
1. Great Way to See the World
2. Volunteering Is Good For Your Health
Everybody knows about eating good, getting exercise and taking your vitamins, but not a whole lot of people think about the fact that helping people can be as healthy for you as eating your daily kale and sprout salad. Volunteering can be healthy for the body! Check out this great Mental floss Article for an in-depth look at 7 Scientific Benefits of Helping Others.
3. Improves Your Mental Health
Depression
In an increasingly isolating world, depression is more and more common. Volunteering can bring of a sense of belonging and reduces the feeling of isolation. It can also keep things in perspective as you journey into the world or your community to see the state of the rest of the world and give a helping hand. A sense of gratitude – for the abundance you have in your life, and for the connections you build with the community you serve – is a common emotion experienced by volunteers.
Anxiety
Doing something you enjoy, connecting with the people you serve, and with no stress of money or time constraints – all help to reduce the stress and anxiety of daily life. Think of volunteering as a meditative process where you clear your mind of the day to day and are there to help. Be in the moment! Enjoy and treasure the experience!
Depression From Retirement
Maybe you worked 40 plus years, at more than 40 hours a week and all of the sudden you have nothing to do. This can be a depressing, aimless time when it should feel free and fulfilling. They say retirement can lead to early death in those that cannot find a place and purpose in the world after their careers. Volunteering can fill that void in many ways. It gives you a chance to give back and help people while filing up the hours of the day. Full-time volunteers can take positions of management within a volunteer organization where they lead groups or teach a new skill, that was perhaps related to their previous career. The sense of accomplishment and purpose gained goes beyond the previous necessity of making an income. It taps into a deep desire to make a difference in the world and leave a legacy behind through the life we have been given!
Do Something You Enjoy
Volunteering gives you an opportunity to do something for you. Many of us have 9-5 jobs where we have to do what others tell us we should do daily. Because volunteering is so broad, it gives you the opportunity to do something you really enjoy. From volunteering with animals, environmental work, helping at a computer lab, teaching a skill or language, or helping build a school or house. Volunteering knows no bounds.
Have you heard of the “Do good, feel good phenomenon”?
Researchers have discovered that the more people do acts of altruism, the higher they raise their self-esteem – and thereby the higher they also raise their happiness.
Check out more on that here!
4. Helping Others
We have found that when you are able to take time and find out exactly what the local community needs, that is invaluable. Creating projects in the local community that can be continued once you leave and makes a lasting impression is important. Ideas will start to flow when you immerse yourself into the community. Sometimes it is as simple as sewing simple dresses for the young girls that cannot afford new clothes. Being creative in thought, collaborative in spirit and open in nature is key.
5. Basic Needs
Food
It’s often been said that “food is love.” What better way can you think of showing you care about someone than feeding them?
Creating gardening programs or creating a food pantry in a local community can really help when it comes to regular meals in the community. Gardening and agriculture programs when culturally appropriate can create an income source as well as a local food bank.
Shelter
Disaster relief is another way to give back. With the increase in strength of hurricanes and earthquakes in the developing world and in our local communities, there is a consistent need for extra helping hands after a devastating event occurs.
Education
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” -Benjamin Franklin
When you invest your time in teaching someone how to read or a lifelong skill, they will be able to use and pass that information on for the rest of their lives. We have found that volunteering in an educational capacity has given us bonds with the people we teach whether it is English at a soup kitchen or teaching a child how to plant a tree. We are planting the seed of love of knowledge that will grow into a mighty tree.
6. Work Experience Through Volunteering
Transferrable skills and volunteer participation of leadership experience on a job resume are just a few reasons why a long-term or short-term volunteering position can help you grow professionally. The question when you enter the job market is often like – “how do I get experience for an entry-level job if no one ever gives me a chance?” The answer may be through volunteering. Give the information and knowledge you have to a worthy cause, document the process from start to completion, and boom! You have your first portfolio piece, knowledge of a certain skill, or steps of an actionable project from beginning to end, to walk into your next interview with.
The secret of happiness is in the people we help.
Elizabeth Andrew said it well: “Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”
We would love to hear from you – leave a comment below on why you think volunteering is important!
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