Volunteer and reframe your life
By Jean Ricot Dormeus
I got an epiphany in 2017. My tennis coach told me about assisting vulnerable groups as a way to celebrate his birthday. I picked up the idea and a few months later I provided support for at-risk youth at the Joshua House in Georgetown. A friend of mine joined me in having lunch with these youth and we had an inspiring conversation with them. Since then I have taken much satisfaction in volunteering or assisting others on my birthday.
That experience caused me to realize that no party of gift can bring so much joy as volunteering. Others benefit from my attention and care. I feel in sync with my life calling to serve them and share my blessings with them. Thus I place a new frame on my thoughts and emotions. For me, a new light illuminates the words of Muhammed Ali, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room on Earth.”
Surprisingly, more people engage in volunteering than we might have thought. A study by John Hopkins University in the United States confirms that over 970 million people practice the habit of volunteering, including 1 in 4 through organizations. That’s the equivalent of 125 million full-time workers, with a staggering value of US$1.348 trillion, or 2.4% of the global economy.
This data speaks to an essential approach to building a better world. Not only do we lift up others and make an impact on them, but also we improve ourselves and experience invaluable joy. We end up receiving more than we give. Evidence of this truth is the sense of accomplishment I have drawn from making the most important day in my life, my birthday, a day for serving and sharing.
Aspiring to a more beautiful life? Experience love in motion, engage in volunteering.
Jean Ricot Dormeus
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