While self-care is all about ‘self’, I always feel better about life in general when I have been of service to others. I realize how counterintuitive this is but hear me out.

You’ve probably heard the saying that goes something like this, when you point 1 finger at someone, you’re also pointing 4 fingers back at yourself. 

When you help someone else out, while you’re giving of your time, talent, skills and resources, you’re also receiving much more in return. Feeling good about a purposeful action and contributing to something that’s greater than a single person, is what makes this world go around. 

How to get started without a major commitment

It can feel daunting to start. For me, I always had a challenge facing the commitment levels that some organizations require. As an example, big brother/big sister organizations often want a time commitment given the type of work the organization does. Other orgs are absolutely fine with someone signing up for a day of effort (ex. Help a habitat of humanity group out). 

Sometimes, you may have a last minute window of time where you can volunteer. 

6 Pragmatic things you can do today to encourage mindfulness of others:

• Stop in to see a friend or volunteer babysit for your friend who is juggling motherhood and other responsibilities.
• Clean out your closet – find a couple of items that you would want someone else to have or experience. Donate them. 
• Bake a cake or cookies and take them to a neighbor 
• Have a rotating list of 5 people who you can / want to call and connect with. Whenever you have 5 mins, ring them and let them know you’re thinking about them. 
• Send a handwritten card to people; share positive thoughts and a note of happiness or encouragement. 
• Soup kitchens are almost always looking for help or willing to take donations (without long term commitment) 

Aligning Your Core Values with a Nonprofit

There may be a point where you want to take a stronger stance on committing resources to a nonprofit.

For this exercise, dig deep. What are the things that you truly believe make the world a better place? Said differently, if you could change the world with solving 1 problem, what would it be? 

For some, it might be solving our world hunger issue. For others, perhaps homelessness and for others, maybe finding a cure for breast cancer. Whatever you identify, drill down into the ‘why’. Why does this issue simmer to the top of your list? Perhaps you’ve experienced sustained hunger, homelessness or cancer. 

Identifying ‘why’ you feel this way will help provide motivation in the long run. It will help you align your purpose with being giving of your time, enabling you to stick with your commitment because you understand ‘why’ you’re doing what you’re committed to.

Think about it,

MJ