Why not offer your time toward volunteering?

Two years ago I reached my breaking point.

My life was so consumed by work that I no longer knew who I was outside of it. I knew I had some time to offer and activities I wanted to do and be a part of but work and exhaustion were the reigning excuses to not do anything that brought me joy or allowed me to give back.

That’s when enough became enough.

Similar to high school (or college) I started to think of the extracurriculars, if you will, that brought me fulfillment outside of schoolwork and how I could incorporate them into my life as a 30-something.

In came extracurricular #1 — Music. I had always dreamt of taking piano lessons and for some reason was saving the activity for my retirement days. I cut the timeline short, called the local music shop in town, set up piano lessons and got back into music.

Followed by extracurricular #2 — Volunteering. Volunteering had been a huge part of my life growing up so I decided to join Immigrant Connection’s English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at my church to help immigrants learn English through reading and conversation.

Those ESL classes were the beginning of making my life less about me and more about others, forcing me to spend less time tied to my work and more to my community.

What’s your 5 to 12 look like?

I’m not interested in your 9 to 5. I’m interested in what you’re doing after you’ve shut your laptop for the day.

Doomsday scrolling for hours, maybe? I get it. I’m guilty of that too. But can I encourage you to put your phone down and start making a difference in the place you live?

Not sure where to start? I didn’t either.

In my hunt to find volunteer opportunities, I first had to ask myself which organization(s) I wanted to serve with and why.

My local hospital quickly became a place I wanted to volunteer in my free time. Both my dad and my grandma were seen and cared for by the incredible staff at Watauga Medical Center and through a quick Google search and deep dive into the hospital’s website, I learned of the opportunities available for volunteers. I signed up and quickly became involved in two different roles, one visitor-facing and one patient-facing. These two roles have not only been a way for me to give back, but also to give back at a place that has impacted me personally.

Step one is getting on Google to see what’s out there and following it up with e-mails or calls to get involved.

Your local hospital, food pantry, women’s health clinic, library or church. These are just some examples to get you started.

And it doesn’t even have to be any of the options offered above! Maybe you already know of a place you’d like to serve and you’re looking for the courage to step out of your comfort zone.

Can I encourage you to, well, just do it?

I’ve had to work hard to get out of my comfort zone in the last year to get involved, make new friends, and get out of my doomsday scroll. It hasn’t been easy (making new connections in my 30’s isn’t exactly a dream) but it has brought me so much joy and purpose to pour my gifts and talents into needed places in my community.

So what are you waiting for?

If you’re looking for an outlet, let volunteering be one way to use your gifts and talents for the betterment of your community.

Until next week,