In our online courses, we talk about the importance of modeling our message and of finding ways to volunteer our time for the greater good. Volunteering can be a challenging topic for some of our students. “I’m already overwhelmed with everything in my life,” they say. “I want to volunteer, but I don’t see how I can squeeze it in.” The struggle of finding ways to be of service was a recurring and passionate conversation in one of our recent online courses. Participants felt guilt about “not doing enough” for others. How could they model a message of kindness and service while staying on top of the seemingly thousands of to-dos crowding their daily lives? Mary Pat Champeau, our Director of Education and instructor for that course, had some great advice:In my experience, just being aware of opportunities and the desire to pitch in can lead to possibilities that might be sporadic and/or unusual but help contribute to a feeling of "service" in a household. I also think we might expand our definition (within ourselves) of what volunteerism IS and can be in today's world, and use things we already do (make an extra pot of soup for a friend, weed an extra garden for an elderly neighbor, buy an extra pair of mittens for someone else's child) to help children see how their every day actions can include a little dose of generosity!
One participant recounted a terrific example of finding small opportunities to do good while unknowingly modeling her message of compassionate action. On her way driving home from work during very snowy conditions, she stopped to give a teacher a ride to the train station – a bit out of the way, but not a big inconvenience and helpful to the teacher. After she dropped off the teacher, her son said:
“That was nice.”
I said, “What was nice?”
His response: “What you just did. That was nice.”
You think they’re not listening or noticing, but they are. Our actions DO speak louder than words.
If you don't have time in your life right now for bigger volunteer opportunities, then look for the little things you can do for those around you.
Do you have stories/ideas of your own small opportunities for doing good and modeling your message? Please post them in the comments; we'd love to hear them!
~ Marsha
Image courtesy of troja.
Like our blog? Please share it with others, comment, and/or subscribe to the RSS feed.
4 comments:
The idea of finding small opportunities to do good is so simple, yet so incredibly profound. It is not just important for creating a spirit of volunteerism, but it creates and nurtures an IDENTITY of a person that acts on her/his values on a consistent basis. The benefits are not only external (helping others, mentoring), but internal (confidence, personal growth), as well. Great, insightful post.
Hey, Building Heroes, thanks so much for visiting and sharing your comments. We're glad this post resonated with you.
We often forget that things don't have to be all or nothing. A little exercise is better than none. A little guitar practice is better than none. A little volunteering is better than none. And finding these small opportunities and getting that high from helping others often leads to creating more opportunities to do good. As you mention, it's very powerful when we model our message on a consistent basis.
Be well,
Marsha
Each morning I get reminders in my e-mail from greatergood.com and freekibble.com. In only a few moments I am able to click away and make small donations to many causes that I support - animal welfare, hunger, breast cancer, veterans, child health, literacy, rain forest protection, and I donate a few bits of kibble to deserving animal shelters. To me these are little things I can do that mean a lot!
Hi, Sherry, thank you for sharing your example of a "little" way to do a lot of good!
Peace,
Marsha
Post a Comment