5 Different Ways to Make Volunteering Exciting, Rewarding & Beautiful!

Hi there everyone!!

Personal growth doesn’t just happen when we’re being trained, learning something new, or having a new type of experience. In situations where we give of ourselves unconditionally with love, with no expectations, we strengthen our character, raise our self-image, and positively contribute to our community. Here’s how to make volunteering work for you:

1. Integrate - Do it with friends

This week, I’m doing volunteer work for the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind), working on a door-to-door campaign to raise money. Volunteering can be much more enjoyable when you do it with friends. I’m doing the CNIB campaign with a good friend of mine who I don’t get to see very often. Now, we both get to volunteer and spend time with each other! When you volunteer with a friend or family member, no matter how mundane or uncomfortable the volunteering may seem, you’ll have someone close to share it with. And, you will have helped that particularly organization twofold!

2. Save Time - Do it with your company

You may be thinking that you’re too busy to do any volunteer work. However, you may be the owner of a small business or work in a small company. I’m also in discussions with the CNIB about volunteering my speaking services and workshops. What about volunteering some of your company’s services? For example, if you design web sites, why not volunteer to design a site for a local charity? The value the charity receives (retail) is greater than the value you invest (your labor). Remember, there’s always a way to make a difference.

3. Have Fun - Do it in a community you like

How do you find a volunteer opportunity that excites you? Think of the kinds of people you like. Think about who you like to hang around. Then, think of communities who have those kinds of people. When volunteering, it’s not so much what you will be physically doing - honestly, many volunteer functions have remedial and boring tasks. However, what will make the experience exciting and worthwhile, is to have people working with you that you can relate to, appreciate, and befriend. A great conversation can transform a remedial task into a fulfilling experience.

4. Make it Valuable - Learn and discover

Volunteering can also open a world of new possibilities. I didn’t have a chance to be with any my grandparents. Working with the elderly helps me to capture that unique kind of relationship. I never would have dreamed of planting trees, until I volunteered for the task. Even though I will probably never directly use that experience in my professional life, a diversity of experiences always helps to create a well-rounded personality. Wait a minute! I am using the tree-planting example in this writing, so I am using it in my career! You never know when something will come in handy. :)

5. Feel the Fear - And do it anyway!

Volunteering for the first time can be scary. Volunteering for something new can feel awkward. Yet, these are the situations that get us to stretch outside of our comfort zone. And that’s the reason volunteering falls into the paradigm of personal growth!

Let's love the world together...

Love,
[)anish /|hmed, blind visionary

P.S. Not ready to volunteer?  Try giving in seven different ways!!

3 Categorical Distinctions Of Public Speaking

Hi there everyone!!

Why is it important to distinguish the categories of public speaking? At one point or another, we’ll find ourselves present in all three of these possible situations. If we’ve ever thought, “this is so boring,” or “teach me something new,” or “I don’t feel like participating,” then these distinctions are for us.

How we effectively make use of these experiences comes down to realizing which experience we are truly in, and then using the advantages of that particular distinctive experience to enhance the experience. Here are the distinctions:

Lecturing Information

From teachers to professors to technical presenters, this type of public speaking involves researching and conveying information to a captive audience. Lecturing information is important for those who are hungry for knowledge and interested in growing their intelligence.

Inspiring Audiences

This type of public speaking can be associated to the traditional motivational speaker or the sales trainer. This kind of public speaking gets people to think different, or act different. Sometimes, there isn’t any new information presented at all. It’s the new perspective or the new story that gets people at the edge of their seats. Here, it’s all about action. What are you going to do today?

Transforming Communities

Historical heroes such as Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy have contributed to transforming communities. They don’t just get us to think different or act different. They get us to “be” different. They are the catalysts of ethical evolution.

How are communities being transformed today on a local scale? I believe communities are transformed when they become actively involved with a leader. So there isn’t a “presentation,” rather a “conversation.” This is what Landmark Education does. This is what the Sterling Institute of Relationship does. And this is what I attempt to do in my presentations. It’s all about interactivity and getting into the “world” of our audiences.

Note that these three categories aren’t distinguished to pigeon-hole any profession. In fact, quite the contrary. Think of Ministers for example. They have the choice to lecture biblical wisdom, inspire their congregation, or transform their religious community. Each choice has its respective advantages and disadvantages.

So, when we say to ourselves in the middle of a presentation, “When is this guy going to tell me something I don’t know?” let’s ask ourselves which category the presenter is in. If the presenter is attempting to inspire the audience, then they are doing their job. What we may want to consider is whether we are truly applying what we already claim we know in our lives.

Let's love the world together...

Love,
[)anish /|hmed, blind visionary