“We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give. ” While brainstorming ideas for this essay I came across this quote by Winston Churchill. Even if you are making a good living for yourself, you should always take time out of your day to give back; you never know when you might need someone to help you out. Volunteering my time to my community has always been something I’ve made time for. Not only does volunteering help others, but it can affect your own character. By volunteering you learn social skills, gain work experience, and if you are lucky enough, it will change your life.
Social skills are skills that you can’t learn from a text book. Being around people and volunteering is a great way to gain these skills that will last you a life time. A social skill I learned while volunteering was how to speak to people. To some people speaking comes with ease, but for me it did not. Whenever I got around people I didn’t know, I would get nervous. After working for my community I became more outgoing. I could speak to people with ease, and was able to make a genuine conversation. Compassion is another important social skill everyone should have.
Having compassion for others will give you a different view point on people. You stop thinking about yourself, and begin to think about other people’s happiness. Buddy baseball was one of the many community service events I helped with. I was lucky enough to help children with disabilities play baseball. It was impossible to not have compassion when I worked with these sweet children. Whenever I think of compassion I think of those children’s faces. I think of their smiles, laughter, and there love. That experience changed my life, and is something I’ll never forget.
Though it is odd to say, most business owners look for working experience when hiring new employees. Many people work unpaid to build up there resume for future jobs. They want employees who work well around others, and are comfortable with different situations. Volunteering requires you to be around different types of people. Sometimes these people might have disabilities’, have illnesses, or other issues. However, some people volunteer for places that they might have a specific interest in. For example, I want to major in kinesiology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
This past summer I volunteered for a local physical therapist. I learned more about my future major, and it made me even more excited to pursue kinesiology! I took charge of my future and contributed my time into helping others. Having this on my resume will help me get into this competitive program, and get a job in the future. In this case, volunteering was well worth my time and energy. To some people, volunteering gives off the perception that you are “doing something for nothing. ” However, this statement couldn’t be further from the truth.
Yes, volunteering teaches you social skills and it looks good on a resume, but none of that stuff matters if you don’t have a good character. Your character is something that you can’t get rid of, but you can change. Volunteering can change you into a more patient, loving, and smart individual. In the past I’ve volunteered for the Carl Perkins Center, which deals with children who have been abused. Working with these children showed me how blessed I am. It made me more thankful, for my parents and family members.
I made it my job to make those children happier than they were when I walked in. By the time I left I was the one who was more affected. Those children didn’t care about worldly things; all they wanted was your attention. This showed me that the gift of time is sometimes the best gift a person can receive. We’ve all heard the saying, “what goes around comes around. ” This being said, if you take out time to help others, it will be beneficial in the long run. As an eighteen year old my free time is usually spent with friends, but sacrificing my time is something that I’ve learned to do.
Volunteering has honestly been one of the best choices of my life. I’ve gained social skills that will carry on for the rest of my life, and my job resume is already being built up for my future. Ultimately, volunteering for my community has changed my life and the lives of others. I hope that my effect on people was a positive one that they will never forget. A quote by Sherry Anderson that I found was, “volunteers are not paid; not because there worthless, but because they are priceless. ” Volunteering is an experience that can’t be bought, but earned.
