IMO, volunteering is a great way to hit on a number of different areas of the Good Life Model. I’ve put this article in the Community area however, volunteering can also feed areas such as relatedness, creativity, knowledge, etc. depending on the type of volunteering you do.
The Benefits of Volunteering (Giving Back)
- Kind People are Happy People: Volunteering honestly feeds your soul. Kind people are happy people and what better way to be kind than to “give your time” to an organization that supports a meaningful cause. As I’m sure you’ve heard, happy people tend to be less depressed, are healthier which can contribute to living longer.
- Fill a Void with Purpose: Giving back & volunteering can also be a great way to get your life back on track if you’ve hit a rough patch or a transitional point in your life. Be it ending a significant relationship, losing someone, rebounding from a health issue, moving, ?? (we all have life issues) — volunteering can help fill a void, give you purpose and be a mental distraction that contributes to your overall well being. Even if you think you have no time or if feel like “How can I give? What do I get out of it? I am all gived out? Others should be giving to me and supporting me! ” Let me tell you – I now it seems counter intuitive — but when you serve/volunteer with a purpose – it fills you up with goodness – something inside clicks.
- Expand your Social Circle: Yes, meeting other great people is also a benefit of volunteering. The great thing about volunteering, is that the biggest commitment you are making is to show up, do your volunteer job and do it well. You aren’t making a commitment to be best friends or date these people. I feel I have to say all this because yes – it is a great place to meet people, make friends and maybe even meet your true love — BUT — there are also lots of single folks in the world and/or people who are introverted, feel socially awkward – LET ME TELL YOU! Volunteering is a great way for you to have structured socializing.
- Schedule Your Socializing: I’m sure a lot of people already do this, however the workaholic (mamaholic back in the day) was always overwhelmed and busy. It was way too easy for me to cancel going out socially at the last minute — in exchange for a pint of ice cream, the sofa, my dog and the tv remote. Volunteering with purpose commits you to something meaningful — so even if you don’t feel like going, you will go because people need you and you won’t want to let people down. The benefit? Built in socializing to balance you out to make sure you don’t become a shut in from the rest of the world.
- Grow your Skills & Career Network: Volunteering with the right organizations can help you grow your work skills in ways that can help your career. You can volunteer for positions like helping with project management, doing graphic design for marketing materials, helping design websites, catering, party decorations, public speaking, training, data entry, accounting, taking photographs – look for opportunities to volunteer your talents – and be sure to give time to work volunteer events as well — in whatever capacity you are needed – this is a super great way to meet lots of different people and bound with your volunteer mates.
I want to volunteer but where do I start?
If you know how you want to give back, then get after it! If not, here are some tips
Start with sites like Volunteer Match. This is a great place to start however, if you are can’t seem to find what you’re looking for, I suggest you start networking.
Yes, you can explore google and social media for your specific interests. but start going to events and asking people working the events, How can I get involved? Recently I met a women who volunteered as an usher at music concerts and was like “wow, you can do that?” I never would have thought to google such a thing.
What type of help do Volunteer Orgs need?
There are tons of volunteer opportunities out there and below are some statistics that will give you some ideas of what you can do to help.
- The top four national volunteer activities are
- food collection or distribution (24.2%)
- fundraising or selling items to raise money (23.9%)
- general labor or transportation (18.8%)
- tutoring or teaching (17.9%)
You should also think about what special skills you have and seek out ways you can give back.You might like dressing up as a clown at a children’s hospital, or taking pictures at a fundraising event, or working with animals in some way. When you can marry together what you love and are good at to a good cause, it’s a win win situation for everyone!
So What’s Stopping You?
YES! Life is busy! and one way to keep your sanity intact is to make sure your Good Life Model stays in balance. But how to fit this is in to your busy schedule? Some tactics you can use include:
- Commit to volunteer a month or two months from now. You don’t have to do it this weekend
- Don’t over commit yourself. When they ask if you can help every week (because they do need the help) be honest with them about what you can do – once a month, this one time and then I’ll have to let you know. They will work with your schedule!
- Join a friend who is already signed up to volunteer.
Remember, this is good for you in so many ways. Figure out how to work this into your schedule and you will no doubt reap nothing but goodness!
