“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry S. Truman

Giving of my time to others started at a young age for me.

There were the little moments when I was young when I use to stop and talk to strangers (yeah, my Mom wasn’t crazy about that), taking extra time to just sit and pet cats that generally did not want anyone to touch them or visiting the local senior living home while out roaming the neighborhoods (back then you could just wander in by yourself).  When I turned 12, I joined an international organization that promoted service in the community.  To be honest I just liked that we got to wear fancy dresses but the fact we did service in the community turned out to be an unexpected perk.  The decision to join turned out to be a nine-year journey with an organization full of wonderful memories and I received many tools that I believe led to my success in the life and in the workplace.  Not to mention I had the benefit of giving hundreds of hours of my time to service.

As it happens with everyone, life happened.  I grew up, I went off to college, started working, got married, had kids.  I was living life.  As I “lived” the time I had to give to service got smaller.  My life got busier.  Life can get busy.  Life can pull the focus away from we are to who we feel we need to be.  For a long time, I was so focused on my career that I forgot what it was to be in service to others.  Even within my job, where I managed others, I was so busy managing my workload that I didn’t give enough time to be of true service to those around me.  In the midst of it all I failed to realize that something was lacking in my life.  It took me a long time and a lot of reflection to realize what I was missing.  Being of service.  Truly giving of my time and making a difference in the world around me.

What an odd revelation.  I had clients that I delivered work to on a daily basis and provided hundreds of hours of my time each year, yet, I didn’t feel as though I was being of service.  Not in the way that made me feel complete.

Upon this revelation it became clear to me that part of my job needed to change.  The part that needed to change…. was me.

Today my focus is very different.  It has gone from being solely focused on me and the tasks around me to being focused on the people around me and being present so I can use the best gifts I have to offer.  My goal is to make my hours count. This isn’t to say that when I do work for a client I am not giving them a great product and delivering what they need.  I am just doing it in a new, more present, way.  The change has allowed me to interact with people and clients in an entirely new way, provide service at a very different level, and bring true value to the work I do.  Because, for me personally, that is where my soul gets its nourishment each day.

The first key to helping is others is you have to make yourself available to them.  For me, it meant I had to slow down and cut back on my crazy hours in the office.  It means being more present in your life.  Allow yourself to be a little more vulnerable, open yourself up, and let people get to know you.

Second, stop thinking you are only capable of doing your day job.  When first asked to present at a local organization I was hesitant until I remembered (before this busy life) I had almost a decade of public speaking experience.  If you combine those hours along with my naturally chatty demeanor noted in all my grade school report cards it would appear talking and helping was right up my alley.  Find something you did before your “life” got busy.  Something that made you happy, filled hours in your youth, or is a natural gift.  Tap into that creative side again and see where it will take you.

Finally, don’t feel like you have to say yes to everything that comes along.  Choose the organization, time or event that feels right to you.  If you work 40-60 hours a week you might not want to give of your time within the profession.  There is nothing wrong with going outside of what you do on a day to day to give in a different way.  If you are passionate about what you are giving your time to then you will be more likely to stick with it and you will be happy doing it.

I have made this change in my life because I felt an emptiness in what I was doing.  I do it because I enjoy helping others not because I expect anything in return.

There is no road map or limitation I put on myself when it comes to helping others but there will always be that part of me, from long ago, that talks to strangers, takes time to soothe a scared animal, or talk to an elderly person.  You never know who that stranger may be, whose pet may be lost or whose relative you could befriend.