Benefits of Volunteering: More than a Good Feeling

Volunteering feels good. 

People need help, so you help them, you do something that needs to be done, and it pleases them and it pleases you, and you're all satisfied. Good; good all around.

That good feeling is just the start. 

1. You do something that needs to be done. Tasks completed.
2. People who asked feel positivity. Thanks for helping! Gratitude.
3. You feel good. I'm kind and capable. Self-confidence.
4. You interacted with people and made connections. Connections are vital.
5. People saw that you are a good person who has some skills. 

And there's more!

If you've offered to use skills you already have, you'll be brushing them up. But most likely, you'll be updating them. This is important for us older folks. There's so much to learn after the COVID years! Almost everything can be done electronically now, without paper and without face-to-face meeting. If you join a team, chances are you'll be communicating electronically and working with electronic documents. I gained a ton of computer experience at my job, but I'm always learning more from the people I volunteer with. I had never used Google Forms before, but it's so easy and useful for so many things! There are always new Excel tricks to learn, new Word hacks, new software, new apps, always new stuff. There are new and improved tools of all kinds that you can try out. Plus, you can meet people who are different from you who can open your world to new ways of seeing things: younger people, older people, people from different backgrounds, all with unique experiences and talents.

For all of us who want to age with positivity, here are three important ways that volunteering supports that:

1. Happiness: Pleasure, purpose, and pride (Blue Zones wisdom)
2. Continuous Learning: "use it or lose it"
3. Connecting with people and technology: "stay in the game"

Jump in. Join a committee, a club, a team, an executive or a board. There are long-term and short-term opportunities. Try a few different things until you find somewhere you can feel good and do good.