WEBVTT - Be proactive about your volunteer roles

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to be proactive in choosing your volunteer roles.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't find yourself volunteer to do something you are not

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<v Speaker 1>excited about and then find yourself looking for an opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>to quit. Instead, reflect on how you want to contribute,

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<v Speaker 1>then get intentional about finding a volunteer role that is

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<v Speaker 1>a great fit for you. I know of a woman

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<v Speaker 1>who has capable, energetic, and sociable, and so she often

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<v Speaker 1>gets asked to serve on boards and committees. She has

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<v Speaker 1>great ideas, people like her, isn't to the perfect candidate,

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<v Speaker 1>well not quite, as she puts it, I don't like meetings,

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<v Speaker 1>so she doesn't agree to volunteer in ways that involve

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of meetings. Well, I am sure some folks

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<v Speaker 1>would disagree with that philosophy. I get it, and I

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<v Speaker 1>think it is good to know yourself. A lot of

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<v Speaker 1>knowledge workers find themselves on nonprofit boards and committees, and

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<v Speaker 1>for many people that is a great way to contribute

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<v Speaker 1>their expertise. But if you too run meetings all day,

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<v Speaker 1>then perhaps you won't be quite as enthusiastic a volunteer

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<v Speaker 1>if you are dreading yet another meeting, so perhaps you

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<v Speaker 1>can volunteer in a different way that's more sustainable. As

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<v Speaker 1>I see it, volunteering can be a great way to

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<v Speaker 1>diversify your life. If you work in it for an

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<v Speaker 1>insurance company but love arranging flowers, why not volunteer at

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<v Speaker 1>your church to repurpose the flowers from Sunday services to

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<v Speaker 1>deliver to people going through a hard time. If you

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<v Speaker 1>work remotely at a desk all day long, you might

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy the interaction of being an usher at a local theater,

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<v Speaker 1>or the physicality of maintaining hiking trails for a state park.

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<v Speaker 1>Or maybe you teach preschool but are hoping to pivot

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<v Speaker 1>to graphic design, you could volunteer to design promotional materials

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<v Speaker 1>for a new nonprofit. This will add some variety to

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<v Speaker 1>your day and hone your new skills while helping an

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<v Speaker 1>organization you care about. I think of volunteering as somewhat

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<v Speaker 1>like electives for high schoolers. We should all have some

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<v Speaker 1>electives in our schedules, but choosing electives is an opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>to try different things and tap into different skills than

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<v Speaker 1>you use the rest of the day. I think a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of us wind up in volunteer roles because there's

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<v Speaker 1>a need and we're there. There's nothing wrong with that.

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<v Speaker 1>I volunteer in my kids' schools when they need me

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<v Speaker 1>or with their activities. But if you take the elective approach,

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<v Speaker 1>you might find a way to proactively add some more

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<v Speaker 1>interest to your life while also doing good. So think

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<v Speaker 1>about what you find interesting that's a little different from

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<v Speaker 1>your day job. Many of us lack the opportunity to

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<v Speaker 1>work with our hands. Or maybe you enjoy people but

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<v Speaker 1>work remotely. Or you're more introverted and work with people

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<v Speaker 1>all day. You might need something more silent. Maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>love animals but can't commit to actually taking care of

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<v Speaker 1>one as a member of the family right now. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>you love music and used to perform, but now work

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<v Speaker 1>in something decidedly non musical. Maybe you enjoy the company

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<v Speaker 1>of children but mostly work with adults. There are all

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<v Speaker 1>sorts of interests that maybe passions that aren't our current

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<v Speaker 1>professional realities. Once you have figured out what interests you

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<v Speaker 1>and what skills you'd like to put to use, start

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<v Speaker 1>looking around for organizations in your community. Ask around with

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<v Speaker 1>your neighbors, colleagues or other parents at your kids' schools.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're a member of a house of worship, look

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<v Speaker 1>through their offerings and try different things. A one off

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<v Speaker 1>project might be just the thing to get you started.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes there are flyers at the local library, or if

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<v Speaker 1>you live near a university, there might be organizations and

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<v Speaker 1>projects publicized there. As you're choosing your volunteer opportunities, also

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<v Speaker 1>think about what will make it stick. For instance, would

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<v Speaker 1>you like to be able to volunteer with your kids,

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe you are looking to make friends. You might

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<v Speaker 1>be best off with something that allows you to work

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<v Speaker 1>alongside the same people each week, like doing a shift

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<v Speaker 1>at a soup kitchen or serving on a gala committee

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<v Speaker 1>for a museum. If you want to be outdoors or

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<v Speaker 1>out in the community, this is going to suggest different

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<v Speaker 1>things then if you are more of a climate controlled

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<v Speaker 1>kind of person. Now I realize that maybe the sound

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<v Speaker 1>a little wrong to be thinking of volunteering as being

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<v Speaker 1>an elective in one's life where interests in personal desires matter.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, shouldn't we just help wherever the need is greatest?

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<v Speaker 1>But the truth is that the need is infinite. People

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<v Speaker 1>are more likely to stick with things and bring their

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<v Speaker 1>best selves to tasks when they enjoy what they are doing.

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<v Speaker 1>I do a lot of writing, so in general I

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<v Speaker 1>don't seek out things that involve writing in a volunteer capacity.

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<v Speaker 1>I have done it when asked, but I don't really

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<v Speaker 1>seek it out and look to do more of it.

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<v Speaker 1>Singing and being outdoors and seeing spaces get more orderly.

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<v Speaker 1>On the other hand, while those things are a bit different,

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<v Speaker 1>When you are proactive about your volunteer roles, you can

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<v Speaker 1>seek those out and then decline those for which you

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<v Speaker 1>are not a good fit. Then your volunteering can help

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<v Speaker 1>your community and be fulfilling for you too. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.