Friday, March 21, 2008

Discover Success In Life Through Volunteering

When we focus on improving our lives, our first thoughts tend to center around what we can do for ourselves. We create a vision, set goals, read books, and take classes. We take action by implementing what we have learned to fulfill our goals and make our vision a reality. These steps are important, and I perform these steps in my own life, but our attention should not be exclusively on ourselves. Rather, we should think about how we can make the world a better place, while at the same time advancing our own goals.

You know that volunteering a portion of your time is something that you should do, but are you aware that helping others can significantly enrich your own life and move you toward completing some of your goals more quickly? Have you thought about the benefits you could receive from volunteering?

Build personal and professional contacts

Your ability to do significant things during your lifetime will grow by building a significant network. The other volunteers with whom you work will have unique abilities, experiences, and networks of their own that could aid you now and in the future. Get to know them, and support them in your unique way. They may find ways to return the favor.

Develop skills

You can use volunteering as a way to enhance your skills. Volunteer opportunities are available for almost any skill you can name. If you have a goal to develop a new skill, volunteering can be one of the best ways to make that happen. Prior knowledge is not usually required. Voluntary experience is also an added bonus on your resume. Not only can it show additional skills that you have obtained, but it also demonstrates your willingness to give back to others. This is important to companies that support their communities and adopt charities.

Share your skills with others

Mentoring is a terrific way to hone your own skills while feeling good helping others. You can help someone else add a skill to his resume and b e m ore successful as a result.

Increase your personal satisfaction

Knowing that you are doing something to make a difference in the world will increase your personal satisfaction. Being needed and appreciated for contributing your time and energy to a cause will also build your self-esteem and self-confidence.

Earn academic credit

Many colleges and universities are now giving academic credit for volunteer support to charities. If you are working on a formal education, academic credit for your time is a possibility.

Make new friends

True friends can be a great source of encouragement when needed. Volunteering provides a tremendous opportunity to build friendships with other generous people. Find occasions to learn more about them. Find opportunities to encourage them; your encouragement can be as simple as a positive word or a handwritten note. Don't be surprised if the kindness is returned at a time when you need it most.

Have fun

You have fun when you work with other caring people toward a common cause!

You will get more out of your volunteer experience than you put into it. If you are looking for a life change, consider giving to others as a part of your personal growth plan. Don't wait until you are successful to volunteer your time as volunteering can help you to become successful more quickly.

Identify a worthy cause, and donate some of your time to it. You will be glad you did.


Roger Carr is a co-author of "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life" along with Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Denis Waitley and many other leading experts. Check out http://www.101greatwaysbooks.com to get more information on this life-changing book.



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Saturday, March 15, 2008

Discover Volunteer Opportunities For National Volunteer Week

Celebrate National Volunteer Week this year from April 27 to May 3, 2008. It is a week dedicated to thanking volunteers and promoting volunteerism. It is a service of the Points of Light & Hands On Network and sponsored by Target.

There are many benefits to experience as a volunteer. Go to http://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/seasons/nvw/ to learn more about the event and discover a volunteer opportunity you can get involved with.



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Friday, March 7, 2008

Discover Volunteer Opportunities At PointsOfLight.org

The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network supports millions of volunteers who are helping to solve serious social problems in thousands of communities. The organization encourages people from all walks of life to volunteer.

This is great website. When looking for a volunteer opportunity on their website, focus your attention in two areas.

The first area is Directory of Centers at http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/find_center.cfm.

This area allows you to find a Volunteer Center near you that you can contact regarding opportunities in your community. Most of the Volunteer Centers listed have their own website with valuable volunteer opportunity information online.

The second area is Programs at http://www.pointsoflight.org/programs. This area lists several National and International volunteer program that you might be interested in supporting. Most of them are specialized based on the need or the type of volunteer. For example, there is a program currently listed to help disabled people. There is also a program listed for volunteers over the age of 50.

While you are exploring the volunteer opportunities, also browse the volunteer resources and awards discussed throughout the website.


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Sunday, March 2, 2008

Do You Have Enough Time To Be A Volunteer?

time for volunteering

There are a number of people who apologize for only being able to volunteer one or two hours a week. Some of them do not feel like they can make a difference in such a short time. Some even avoid volunteering because they consider their potential contribution a waste of time. Does this describe you?

This way of thinking could not be further from the truth! Making a difference does not have to take a significant amount of time. You can make a change in someone's life and in the world by volunteering the time you have available.

Let me prove it to you by walking you through a short exercise. It will only take you a few minutes to do this exercise, but it will be worth it.

  1. Make a list of every person who had a positive impact on you. Think back as far as you can remember. Do not forget about your friends and family who encouraged you by something they said, leaders and teachers who taught you a critical skill, mentors who asked you thought-provoking questions and others who helped you during a difficult time in your life.
  2. Once your list is complete, write down the amount of time it took each of them to make their life changing contribution. The times may range from several years to only a few minutes.
  3. Look through your list and select those items where people helped or encouraged you in a short amount of time.

What did you discover from this exercise? You probably uncovered memories of several individuals who contributed to your life in a positive way. Many of them made their mark on your life because they cared. Also, some of their actions took less time than you are able to devote to volunteering. If others could do it for you, you can do it for others!

It is now up to you. Do not let excuses keep you from experiencing the tremendous benefits of being a volunteer. Discover a great volunteer opportunity and get involved. There are many volunteer opportunities that can use your unique passions, experiences and talents. Review the list you created earlier and consider the ways others made a positive impact on you in a short time. You could do the same for someone else. Use whatever available time you have to make a difference.

There is someone in this world who is waiting for you to donate whatever time you can afford to make his or her life a little bit better. Do not let your thoughts of wanting to have more time keep you from giving to that person today.

Go to http://volunteer-opportunities.blogspot.com/ to learn more about volunteering and how to find a great volunteer opportunity. Roger Carr is the founder of Everyday Giving.


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Mikki Williams Talks About The Benefits of Volunteerism



Mikki Williams gives a fun talk in this video about one of her volunteer experiences. She learned through that experience how important volunteering is to others.

You can learn more about Mikki Williams at http://www.mikkiwilliams.com.

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Saturday, March 1, 2008

Discover Volunteer Opportunities In Your Local Newspaper

Local newspapers are a great source of information regarding volunteer opportunities.

Where are they listed?

You might find some referenced in the articles, in the editorial section, and the advertisements. However, the most likely place to find the potential volunteer opportunities you are looking for is in the community calendar of your favorite newspaper.

The purpose of the community calendar is to list community events that are coming soon in your area. Some of these events can be meetings and activities of nonprofit organizations.

If you don’t have a subscription of the local newspaper delivered to your home or office, don’t worry. Most libraries have the newspaper available to read at no cost. In addition, many of the newspapers have websites. You can find many newspaper websites at http://www.newspapers.com. The community calendar is frequently on the newspaper website.

You don’t have to go far to find the volunteer opportunity for you. Take advantage of the information in your local newspaper to lead you to a great volunteer opportunity.

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