Learning from being a volunteer

Going through my blog posts from last July I came across another post that I had written entitled Do you volunteer? I am a great believer in undertaking voluntary work, because the group you are working for gains in some way and you yourself learn new skills and this makes you a better person who can give more to your personal life and your work colleagues. I thought I would write a list of what I have gained in the last twelve months and it is quite immense! I have:

• Chaired meetings and worked on a range of projects sometimes as a team member and sometimes as a team leader;
• Learned that in order to aid conflict resolution you first have to acknowledge the part your actions might have played in triggering or heightening the conflict;
• Spoken in public at a range of meetings and presentations and learned that just because something is interesting to you it won’t necessarily interest your audience – so you need to think on your feet and tailor your delivery;
• Learned that English and American are not the same language;
• Stretched my horizons and applied my experience to new areas;
• And most of all I have learned how truly blessed I am in life.

Howard Thurman said “ Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”