And so it begins, as anything else, with a simple statement – “I don’t know, I want to change the world…do something to make a difference…something I am passionate about.”
Tim had been laid off from his job a few weeks prior to making this statement. One night, while he and I were discussing his future, the conversation turned away from his unsuccessful and overwhelmingly unsatisfying job search, toward what he actually wanted to do with his life. Change the world, huh? Make a difference? Hmmm. Well, what are you passionate about, Timmy? “Helping people…doing something that makes the world a better place.” So, I got to thinking – how, exactly, do you make the world a better place?
Ok, yes, yes, yes – I know you can better the world by smiling at people while walking down the street, picking up trash when you see it, even letting people merge into your lane during a traffic jam. But, what if you want to do a little bit more? Well, you volunteer, of course.
Since joining the workforce, Tim and I haven’t “had enough time to volunteer” – we have been focused on our careers, our social lives, having enough time for ourselves, etc. We would dedicate some time here and there, but never as much as we wanted. It is a common excuse–lack of time. But what most of us don’t realize is that it only takes a few minutes or a few hours here and there to make a difference. Even if you are only contributing to a piece of the puzzle, you are working toward an overall change. And that is the mindset we are working toward embracing.
So we have decided to make time. We decided to take 50 days to travel cross-country and do community services in all 50 states. “Well, I get the 50 states part, but why 50 days?” you may ask (and even if you don’t get the 50 states part, you are still more than welcome to ask about the duration). “To add deadlines, conflicting engagements, and travel time, because adding those things makes it more true to life. To make it a challenge. To make it a 50 day journey of service and self discovery,” we will respond. Then we will say “And you are more than welcome to join us.”
So pull up a computer and check in with us from time-to-time, send us an email, or just head down to your local service organization and donate your time. Because, as corny as this sounds (and, believe me, I have major trepidations about typing this next statement in fear of nullifying any seriousness with which you took me for the past 5 paragraphs), but together, we may be able to actually change the world.
