If you dive into your memories and past experiences, you will probably remember the feeling and satisfaction when you gave a loved one a gift or a piece of advice. And maybe you will notice that helping someone recently has put you in a better mood. There are a lot of studies online that claim that helping others can positively affect your mental health.
Being a volunteer is not just about the project you are a part of – it is about the experiences, knowledge exchange, and people. Starting from small steps can make significant changes in the long term. Whether you are volunteering at an animal shelter or helping someone less fortunate than you, giving your time to the ones in need will give you plenty back in return.
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
There can be a lot of volunteering activities that can change your lifestyle in many ways.
Life experiences
You will never know where doing a small act can take you. Life is all about experiences and full of surprises. People who do things for the first time, such as volunteering, create an experience outside their comfort zone. Trying new things as volunteering in an animal shelter, can be a step forward to impactful adventures in the future.
Being a part of a volunteering project is more than taking activity in a concrete place and time. Volunteering can shape you with things that can be served to you while doing it – the environment, different cultures, and meeting new people. It can help you challenge your limits, and at the same time, it can be rewarding.
Volunteering can have a time travel machine effect on your personality. You can volunteer at a children’s hospital and help with activities that remind you of your childhood. It can also give you some heads up for the future while volunteering for the elderly, by teaching you to appreciate the valuable things in life.
Building your personality
Since birth and throughout our lives, we are shaping our personalities. Each of us goes through different life experiences and connects with people who share their knowledge and habits as part of their lifestyle. Every new encounter with new things builds our character. You have probably noticed that when you visit a new country, you come home with some parts of you that you never knew existed.
There are many ways to describe how volunteering can affect our lifestyles. It can be a memorable way of developing greater self-learning and understanding. If you think about it, considering a volunteering activity can open your horizons and make you question your interests and what makes you more selfless, helpful, and curious.
The Social Friday initiative is a family of community heroes that found ways to help others and do social good while following their interests and passion for something they want to do. Being a part of a community where you can be encouraged to follow your interests can motivate you to become a better person and improve different aspects of your life.
Leave a footprint
People can be creative creatures. We want to leave our signature on the things we are doing. For example, take a look at your home surroundings. You will probably notice your signature in the décor, the color preferences, and in the light. As strange as it sounds, the same goes for volunteering. Every time you help someone or do something that can benefit the whole community, you leave your footprint in that action.
One of the ways to see the world from another perspective is by volunteering. As an individual, being a part of a community can reframe your ways of thinking. It can encourage you to think about world-challenging issues and what steps you can take to make positive changes.
Once you find your passion in volunteering, joining a project will be your starting point. You will learn to approach life with more empathy and curiosity and become a problem solver for important questions in your community and people around you. By finding ways to do social good, you will have the chance to leave your footprint on things that make the world a better place.
Be a part of our family of community heroes!
Taking on a project in volunteering can be a big step in your life. The Social Friday initiative celebrates togetherness. It is about exploring new things in volunteering, engaging with people, and creating a better place to live. We encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and do social activities that strongly align with your interests and the things that make you curious.
Together we can challenge the status quo!
See how you can contribute here