I am 19 years old, and I’ve already accumulated thousands of hours of community service. I love it. I’ve participated in feeding the homeless, Relay for Life, helping domestic violence victims, collecting school supplies for underprivileged kids, wrapping presents during Christmas for the Salvation Army, and many more. Volunteering is my passion. Over the years, I have learned many lessons from volunteering. All in all, I have learned that volunteering will teach you so much about yourself and your life; you will be a better person after spending time helping people. I’ve narrowed it down to five important lessons you learn while volunteering.
You are not better than anyone else.
Volunteering is an extremely humbling experience. While I am not rich by any means, I have always had everything I need and more. Seeing others struggling and being able to help them out makes you realize your blessings and appreciate them more. These people have problems, yes. But they are humans too, just like you. You are not better than anyone else, regardless of their decisions or situations in life. A little compassion goes a long way.
We all have struggles.
This seems like such an obvious lesson, but it is something we often forget. While we’re in the midst of dealing with our own problems, we become so caught up in ourselves that we forget that everyone is struggling with something as well. Our struggles may be of different magnitudes, but they still consume our lives. Be respectful of the position others are in. Your struggles aren’t always more important than others’. Recognize that and use that understanding to put others first sometimes.
We all need help sometimes.
Every person out there has needed help with one thing or another at some point in their life. If you can recognize this, the people you are helping become more humanizing to you. You start to realize that you’ve been in their position before, and you feel compassion and love for them.
We all can give help to those in need.
Become aware of your strengths and how you are able to help others. You don’t need to have a degree or special training of any kind. You don’t even need to be an adult. You just need to have love for others. Nothing feels better than making a difference in someone’s life. It doesn’t matter how big the difference is. Just make a difference. If you see an unfortunate situation unfold, step in and help out. Don’t just be a bystander. You will regret it if you don’t do what you can to help.
Love others without boundaries.
Love others without judgment or abandonment. If you love others, you see their worth and you have more compassion for others. If everyone showed love for others, this world would be a better place. Love people regardless of skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion. Love without borders or boundaries.
Volunteering has made me a better person. It is what I love to do. I understand not everyone has a passion for volunteering like I do, but I encourage everyone to do what they can to better themselves, build others up and make the world a better place.
