My dilemma was: if I do something for someone else for the challenge, would it be without expectation of a return?
And I have to say, no, it couldn’t be. I might make some money on my post, or get a new follower or two, or even just have people think I was a good person. Those are all returns.
My other dilemma was that I work from home, and was going to be home all weekend doing a water fast. How was I going to find someone to do something good for?
Then I started thinking about some of the things I do, and realised I already do a bit on a regular basis. So I decided to talk about some of those. Not to pat myself on the back, but from the same premise as being grateful – the more you focus on something, the more it grows. If I think about things I’ve done for others, will I get more ideas of other things I could do?
At the very least it might give someone else some ideas. Many people are already doing more than they realise, and many people are doing a lot more than I am – those people I WILL pat on the back. (Big shout out to @gardenofeden for example.)
Volunteer work / Community Service
Back in the 90’s I spent 2 years as a Victim Support volunteer. That involved ringing or visiting people who were the victims of crimes or accidents, including burglaries, sudden death of a partner, armed robbery and being part of a team on hand at an AC/DC concert (and more). I also stood in for the supervisor any time she needed to be away.
For the last ten years, I’ve been teaching a weekly exercise class for elders with arthritis, locally. Once a month, I bus across to the other side of the city to take a group who can’t find a full time instructor. This isn’t strictly voluntary, as I do get paid. But it’s way less than I would get seeing a client for the same amount of time, and doesn’t cover any time I spend doing admin like choreographing new routines. But I enjoy it, and so do they, and I can’t see myself giving it up anytime soon.
I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but here in NZ there are many opportunities to volunteer. I have friends who volunteer at their local SPCAs, like @giantbear did in her post. Hospitals and old people’s homes always welcome people who can come and read or talk to the residents, or entertain them in other ways. Being on the committee of an organisation you belong to with a hobby is usually voluntary and some people efficiently run sports clubs, for example, for years, if not decades. Even being on the committee of your professional association would most likely be the same.
If you Google “volunteer” for your area, you may find a central organisation that has a list of organisations looking for volunteers.
Donating
Over the years, I’ve regularly donated to various organisations. Currently, it’s a regular monthly donation to our local SPCA for Bed and Board for cats.
There are so many organisations out there that are doing amazing community work, but are not government funded. They usually have a fund raising drive once a year, and if that isn’t enough to cover their budget, they are in trouble. Most of them have a way you can donate a small amount regularly, and this helps them enormously.
You don’t even have to give money. Many places are in need of used clothes or bedding for their clients. Places like the Salvation Army have second hand stores where they sell donated good cheaply to those in need. So if you have anything surplus to requirements, there’s bound to be someone who needs it.
We have a lot of people coming to our house, so we always have a box of “free stuff” in our porch. Anything that isn’t taken goes to the Salvation Army.
Christmas is coming up, and many families don’t have the cash to celebrate. In Wellington, there is the Inner City Ministry, and the Wellington City Mission, as well as the Sallies (and probably more), who collect goods to make up Christmas parcels for those in need. See @shadowspub’s recent post to see how her organisation does it. These parcels are only possible because of the generosity of the public.
There is probably also someone in your area providing free Christmas dinner to people with nowhere to go. A friend of mine regularly spends her Christmas Day helping at one of these and finds it very rewarding.
Making your professional services available cheap or free
Now obviously you’re not going to do all the time, you need to make a living. But you might be able to see one client a week at a vastly reduced rate if they’re in need.
I offer a free 15 minute phone consult before seeing any new clients. Partly this is to make sure we’re right to work together. But sometimes, I can give one or two little pointers, and that’s enough for them to carry on by themselves for a while. Often, I never hear from them again. And that’s ok.
Random Acts of Kindness
So many things can come into this category:
• A smile for a stranger
• A kind word or genuine compliment – either to someone you know, or a complete stranger again
• Helping a neighbour in need
• Putting money in someone’s parking meter (in some places this is illegal, so keep an eye out)
• Helping someone onto the bus
• A coin, a smile or a cheerful hello to a homeless person
• A donation of a SBD or two to someone who’s working their arse off and not getting any recognition. Or put their latest post into Post-Promotion-Other.
• And many more that are not springing to mind for the moment
Most days of the week, there is at least one person begging in our shopping centre. New Zealand is meant to be a welfare state, so how has it come to this? If I gave money, I would be giving every single day. But I don’t usually have cash when I go out, I usually just stick my visa in my pocket. Occasionally, when I feel so moved, I’ll buy something extra in my shopping that I can give them to snack on.
After reading all this, I’m sure you’ve realised how much you contribute without thought of reward ALREADY. So hat’s off to you!
I’ve been busy this week practicing being a curator, so think I’ve missed some positivity posts (it’s not the area I’m curating). Must go and have a look and get some more inspiration.
Steem On!
Thanks for reading
Follow me for more health, nutrition, food, lifestyle and recipe posts.
I am now on Peerhub offering one on one nutritional coaching and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) sessions by Skype.
Some of my previous posts:
THOUGHTS ABOUT LIFE: My Intro ~ Are there kiwis in the house? ~ Benefits of joining a community choir ~ My grandmother’s legacy ~ Steemit in downtown Wellington ~ Overcoming my fears ~ Observations from a bus ~ The brandy snap maker ~ Wearable Arts Award Show ~ 2 months on Steemit and now curating health, nutrition and recipes
RECIPES AND KITCHEN TIPS: Choc Blackcurrant Smoothie ~ Paleo Cottage Pie ~ Feijoa Pear Smoothie ~ Grain free, dairy free Pumpkin & Cashew Bread ~ Tip for storing ginger & tumeric ~ Grain Free Banana Cashew muffins ~ Warming winter soup ~ Healthy Chocolate & Fudge ~ Jerky with vegetables ~ BREAKFAST ideas ~ Choco-mallow protein bars ~ For MORE RECIPES and my 15 step Whole Food cooking course, see my recipe website.
HEALTH AND NUTRITION: The wide variety of healthy diets out and what they have in common ~ The travels of Weston A Price and his discoveries about healthy diets ~ Good fats vs bad fats ~ DNA testing for better health & Fitness ~ DNA testing part 2: How Well Do I Digest Carbs? ~ DNA testing Part 3: I can’t eat Carbs & How to Manage that ~ About the Gut & Psychology syndrome (GAPS) diet Part 1 ~ GAPS diet Part 2: Foods we can’t have ~ GAPS diet Part 3: Foods we CAN have ~ GAPS diet Part 4: What if I can’t eat some animal foods ~ Salicylate intolerances ~ Thoughts about Breast Health ~ I’ve got a cold & how to handle it ~ Sleep like a kitten Part 1 – 3 tips ~ Sleep Well Part 2 – What’s your sleeping style? ~ Sleep Well Part 3 – Resetting your body clock
