Passion for Giving Back

What’s your muse? Your passion? What makes you tick? All of us have questions like this that come up in our lives. How often do we answer them? The funny thing about life is not one single person looks at the world the same way, not a single one of us. Yet, we have the potential within us to be passionate about something. Usually, this is directed at our career path, whether we want children, pets, and a house with a big backyard. In life, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in these few things that we forget our passion can be directed at more than just those few things.

My husband and I both have a passion for our respective educational backgrounds and career paths. Currently, my path is on hold, and his is full steam ahead these days. I am blessed to know he is fulfilling his dream, his passion. How often do we as individuals really get to say that? I have wonderful dreams and passions taking a detour at the moment. In the meantime, I have focused my passion in other ways in which I can be helpful and of service.

Service you ask, why would I want to do that? I won’t tell you whether or not you should do it. I will just tell you my personal experience. It enriches me more than you can ever imagine. I am sure those of you reading this can attest to this being true. Helping others fills my heart, soul, and spirit with abundant joy. I am unable to put the true feeling to pen and paper, however, I hope you are getting the idea. It’s all encompassing. It’s amazing in just a few short moments you are making a big difference in the grand scheme of things.

An idea is how it starts. How else can it start? Big or small you can make a difference. Each of us, whether we express it outwardly or not, have an idea, a picture of how the world can become a better place. Some of us have small scale projects and others may have larger scale projects swirling in our minds. The scale of the project isn’t what matters, it’s the action.

Action, you say? Hmm... I have this great idea, and I can’t get off the ground. It’s okay. Haven’t we all been there at some moment, some stage of our lives? It can be difficult to know where to start on a project. It can be overwhelming. However, we have so many resources at our disposal. Maybe, we can all pick a charity, foundation, or organization that aligns with our values and ideals and input our various thoughts and ideas to make the world a better place one small step at a time.

Trust me, we aren’t going to always agree with what family members, spouses, life partners, significant others, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues chose to do. In the end, you need to choose what you can live with at the end of the day. That’s what ultimately matters. If you are going to give of your time and/or resources why not give back to something that tugs at your heart strings? Even in my own marriage, my husband and I have many of the same ideas and even some differences in where to give back, and that’s okay.

For me, I needed to find things that stirred up passion and joy within me. There is no reason to feel pressure to get involved in something that doesn’t make you feel some sort of spark, if it helps make a list of pros and cons. Usually, there are things you can fit in your schedule, your life. The best thing is no matter what you choose to do, you will be making a difference in someone’s life directly or indirectly. The point is that we do it. In addition, we get a benefit from giving back. Oftentimes, we make new and lasting friendships in the process. What could be better for our hearts and souls then to give joy back to others and in turn get more in return than you ever thought was possible?

So, go ahead, give it a try. You may like it.  You may not. In the end, you will find your place or places. All that really matters is that you do.