In the last few years I had really wanted to do some volunteering and the right opportunity had never really come up. At least this was what I had been thinking prior to seeing a video from the brilliant Warren van Dam, a lifestyle coach and someone who is really inspiring to follow on social media. Warren was talking about a trait which many of us have, which is the so-called desire to do something when in fact we are restricted by ourselves, and this is exactly what was happening to me with regards to volunteering my time. About a week after I saw that video of Warren I began to teach English in an orphanage here in Mexico City, and the reality is that it wasn’t hard, and the excuses were my own.
If you have ever considered giving up your time to help others, here is why I would suggest that you just get out there and do it.
Feels Great
I see absolutely nothing wrong in saying that helping others feels amazing and for the first time in my life I genuinely feel as though I am doing something worthwhile. In my job I don’t really provide a service or anything which is overwhelmingly positive for the local community, and so I can feel better about myself when I am helping, especially as it’s something which I had always wanted to do.
Helping A Situation
I do not have any particular skills to do what I am doing, other than perhaps speaking two languages. The point is that most of us who volunteer do not offer specialized skills, but we do whatever we can with what we have in order to help a situation. A friend of mine recently ran 100km to raise money for charity, which was to make food to a slum in Bangkok. When those boys took the food the reaction on the faces of those in the slum was amazing and this just goes to show how much you can help a situation, no matter what your skills are.
Lucky
This last year more than ever has proven just how lucky some of us have got it, and how unlucky many more have it. I was born to parents who didn’t have to worry abut money, I was born in a country where there was support form the government and where there was great opportunities. I recognize that not everyone is as lucky as I was and so that is exactly why sharing that luck out with others is the way to go.
Ultimately this is about bringing back the idea of community which has since been lost, it is about helping out those who can with whatever you have. No matter if you volunteer in a school, in a charity shop, in a hospital or in an orphanage, there are always things that we can do if we just give up a little time for others.
To learn more about living a successful life and growing as a person, click here!
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