Despite the fact that there seems to be little positive news circulating about the economy lately, people aren’t dismayed. In fact, even in this down economy, people are giving more of their time to others, not less.
This is a good thing.
There were two statistics, in particular, that really jumped out at me:
Two forms of volunteerism jumped sharply: the number of people who worked with neighbors to solve a local problem rose 31% from 2007 to 2008, and the number of people who attended community meetings rose 17% last year.
What is really cool about this is that it means that people are giving back not just generally, but with the people in their local community, the people who are closest to them, the place where they can have the largest and most immediate impact.
I think that some people are overwhelmed by the thought of volunteering or donating their time or resources. Sometimes, people just dont’t think that they can make a difference. Sometimes, people think that the issues are too big, and they are too small.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Nothing has ever changed in the world without at least one person. Sure, sometimes it take s a lot of people. Most of the time, however, it just takes one person. Just one person who is willing to try to make a difference, no matter how small.
See, the funny thing is this, once one person says, “how can I help?” and goes out and does something about it, it becomes contagious, and viral. People like to help others, it is in our nature as humans. It catches on pretty quick, too. If you just do whatever you can do to make a small, positive difference in your community or the life of someone you know, and share that with others, you’ll notice that they will want to help, too.
According to this article, there are a whole lot of people out there helping others, and improving their own lives, too. So the only question left for you to answer is. . .
What can I do to help?
