In this episode we explore the act of caring for others as a tool to help ourselves. Studies show the benefits are immense!

I share my experience with it and try to structure it into an actionable tool.

Tool: doing charity work

Instructions:

1 - Look at your schedule and determine how much time you are willing to spend on this experiment and when it’s the best time to do it. Start small. Even if it’s na hour of your time every fortnight. Just make sure it’s confortable for you. You can also change it later if you need to.

2 - Start exploring what volunteer work exists in your area. I know we are under very restrictive and special circumstances due to the world pandemic, but explore what type of things you can help with that are safe for you. Even if it means simply doing work online. And choose something that means something to you (although sometimes we only find it does after we start doing it). Remember what I said before: the benefits we get from volunteering seem to be linked to the amount of meaning we put into it. And remember, you can change it later if you don’t feel like it’s working out.

3 - Even though you can maximise your results finding something that matches your skills, maybe it would be interesting trying some work outside them. This is an opportunity to grow so take some chances. I know I learned a lot about warehouse organisation, logistics and maybe a bit about supply chains. I also got used to driving vans full of goods. And later, when I started getting management roles, I ended up practicing my leadership skills.

4 - Make sure you are are not harming yourself with the volunteering activity you chose. We need to be in a good shape to help others, or else you’re just wasting time and resources. I remember my work distributing food to the homeless and it was tough. And a lot of people burned out being confronted with so much pain. And then if you’re suffering yourself, it will show, and it will have em effect on them, on your performance as a volunteer and in your life.

5 - Put an effort into being as effective as you can during the time you’re volunteering. That will mean you won’t need to put a lot of your time to make a difference. It will also maximize the chances that you will get all the benefits we talked about

6 - Decide how much contact you want to have with people. There’s always roles that are more backstage and roles that place you more in contact with the person being helped. It all depends on your personality. I would also say that, if you’re a more introvert person, maybe at some point you could try something small and simple that puts you in contact with people, to help you deal with that (if it’s something you would like to improve upon).