Aristotle said, “The essence of life is to serve others and do good.” Serving others and doing good is what makes us human. As anyone pursues their purpose that allows them to leave a legacy, actively participating in community service has a powerful impact on our personal and professional outcomes.
Nearly everyone (96%, according to Americorps) reported that volunteering enriched their purpose in life. In addition, statistics prove that volunteering or community service increases mental wellness, and physical health, by lowering stress and increasing connection.
Making time to get involved in your community is vital at every age, not out of guilt or solely when you have free time, but because it improves your performance. Community service is not just about the Legacy arc of your career. It also has a direct impact on your Mastery and your Freedom.
Company leaders and HR leaders value seeing community service on a resume as they know people who volunteer have better leadership skills and are willing to work hard for a cause bigger than themselves. Participating in community service improves your ability to work in new, often changing relationships with little direction and resources to complete the project.
These conditions are ripe for growth and teamwork, so companies opt to participate in community service events rather than general company meetings to encourage team engagement. As people who voluneteer improve their performance, they become more valuable in the market, giving them a feeling of freedom and fulfillment.
With all the benefits from community service, no wonder Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are YOU doing for others?”
At CareerTruth, we want to help you be your best and create a multiplier effect from your time and effort. To do this, in this CareerTruth solution, you will do a complete inventory of your personal and professional attributes while clarifying your values and purpose as well.
In identifying your strengths to utilize as you aim to achieve your purpose, you may also find that you have specific gaps in your skills or competencies that you can improve through community service. Often, service organizations need tremendous amounts of help, and with a certain amount of aptitude and oversight, will allow you to practice your skills as you serve.
For example, someone who wants to improve as a leader might ask to lead a project team or become a board member of a nonprofit to gain new executive communication or strategic planning skills.
Remember, you waste no effort and are constantly learning and growing. Using your developing skills also serves others.
Treat your community service as a real plan to develop yourself. Commit and hold yourself accountable to being your best for the good of others. Paid or unpaid, being your best is a mindset that increases your effectiveness in making a positive impact.
CareerTruth provides you the tools to set goals and action plans to develop in your career and set targets, actions, and timelines that you can work with your Board of Advisors to fulfill in community service.
The average volunteer gives about one hour a week to serve others. This benchmark is a good place to start if you work full-time and have other obligations. You can assess your current time allocation in the Time Audit in CareerTruth. Then, make some strategic decisions to prioritize what will help you be your best, personally and professionally.
There are millions of ways to serve every day. Take the time to align your service to your values, purpose, and development for the highest impact.