Day 12 - Serving Others

I spent a lot of time during my teenage years volunteering. At age 19, I even spent a summer in Chicago serving at a homeless shelter. It was completely out of my comfort zone to get on a plane alone and fly to a city I'd never been to, but one of the most challenging and fulfilling things I've ever done.

I could list a dozen different reasons why volunteering or serving others, whether in a big way or small, is good, but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume no one here would argue that serving others is a bad thing.

Since we're taking these 31 days to talk about living a more fulfilled life, I'm going to get right down to the point: How does volunteering or serving help your happiness?

Studies have shown a correlation between those who volunteer and decreased depression, lower incidence of hospitalization, and improved quality of life. In fact, spending as little as two hours a week is enough to reap the health and emotional benefits of serving.

Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not saying we should all hop on a plane to Chicago and spend the next three months volunteering in a homeless shelter. It was an incredible life experience for me, one that I'll never forget, but it isn't a practical or viable option for most of us (if you are interested, though, leave me a comment and I'll get some info to you!).

Here are just a few ideas of how you might choose to serve:

• Volunteer to drive someone who can't drive themselves to a doctor's appointment, grocery shopping, or even better, to do something enjoyable away from home.
• Pick up trash in your neighborhood.
• Provide a meal to a family a new child.
• Offer to babysit so your mom friend can have a break.

Serving doesn't have to just be volunteering of time. Here are some monetary ways you can serve too:

• Sponsor a child through Compassion International or World Vision.
• Help a family with adoption expenses (a personal favorite of mine!) through Show Hope or Bethany or give directly to a family you know is adopting.
•  Buy products that give back. Two of my favorites are Sevenly and Toms.

These are just a few of the many ways you can give of your time and resources. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments! Tell me, what was your favorite or most memorable experience of serving others? Tell me in the comments below!