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This is something I find myself battling on a frequent basis. Am I doing enough for my community? Do I really put my complaints into action?
Sometimes your vocation doesn’t line up with your calling. I know that sounds Oprah-ish, but it’s true. There are too many examples of people in this world who hold a particular profession and spend their downtime doing other things that bring them joy. Who says you can’t be a Jack or Jane of all trades?
For over a decade, I’ve been involved in youth mentoring and various community empowerment efforts. Whether through my church or nonprofit organizations, I’ve always felt a need to try and pay it forward in some way. God has blessed me way too much not to care about others around me and their needs. While I’m certainly no Mother Teresa, I do try my best to make an impact.
So many of us have an opinion about a current event or situation that makes us take to social media to express our feelings. All of that is fine and dandy, but what are you doing to make it better? No one expects you to be a miracle worker (kudos if you are), but you might want to take a look at ways you can back up your rants with action. If everyone pointed fingers and did nothing to make life better, where would we be? Nowhere new.
Granted all of our schedules and personal demands are different, there are plenty of ways–especially, thanks to modern technology–to get out and do something.
“I can’t do anything, I’m just one person.”
Everything in life requires a single step to get started. There are too many examples of good people doing “small things” that have impacted society in a major way. Even if there are no cameras or a spotlight, that doesn’t mean your actions can’t inspire someone or a group of people to make improvements in their life for the better.
Volunteering to “muck” out homes devastated by Hurricane Sandy with New York Cares
Not all of your efforts have to be one-on-one or some mentoring partnership. Not everyone has the time to dedicate after work in this sort of capacity, and that’s okay. There are other ways you can get involved that include donations and collaborative efforts through your company. You just have to find what works best for you.
Given the recent events happening back home in Baltimore, I’ve been at a standstill when it comes to daily activities. I still work as I need to pay my bills. It’s just hard to concentrate on my industry (interior design) when I know folks in my community are hurting. Unfortunately, I can’t hop on a plane (I now live in Oklahoma) as I’m a month away from giving birth to my second child. My husband kindly reminds me that even though I’m away from the hometown I love, I do dedicate a good portion of my downtime to helping out around Oklahoma City.
Have you ever felt a pull to do something outside of your career that benefits others? When something in the news tugs at your heart strings, are you a person who looks for ways to get involved, or simply talks about what’s going on and leave it at that?
