Dream As Big As You Can

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Today is a very important day in American History. The History Channel and Florida's Natural posted about today on their facebook pages. The new Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial was unveiled this week in Washington, D.C., and today is Dream Day- the day that marks the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Find out more about the civil rights hero here: http://bit.ly/qB46O3

In honor of Dream Day and MLK, Jr., what is your greatest dream? If you could do one thing to change the world, what would it be? What steps can you take to achieve your dream?

Change The World: Volunteer your time

Share the Wealth

Reading my blogs is something that you are doing for yourself. You are choosing how to spend your time. My goal is to make my blogs interesting and informative for all my readers! This is my way of giving back to the world and trying to help make it better, one person at a time. Today I encourage you to go one step further and consider helping others, too, by becoming a volunteer. 

Studies show that volunteers have higher levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction than those who don't give their time and energy. As a volunteer, you can participate in your community, create new friendships, and improve the quality of the place where you live and the lives of others. Yet volunteering doesn't have only external benefits — it's internally gratifying as well. Anyone who has committed time or resources toward a good cause knows the satisfaction and pleasure such work provides. Volunteering can also teach you new skills and introduce you to talents you didn't know you had. 

Maybe you already have an organization in mind that you'd like to support. But if you're not sure what you might want to do, think about why you want to volunteer and what benefits you hope to gain from the experience. What kinds of skills, knowledge, or abilities can you share? What are your greatest strengths? What do you like — and dislike — doing? Do you want to work with other people or by yourself? How much time are you willing to give? Choose something that fits your schedule, your skills, and your temperament. 

Once you have given these questions some thought, check out a volunteering Web site, like VolunteerMatch, NetworkForGood, Habitat For Humanity, ONE.org, or CMT One Country (among many others)  that can help you find volunteering opportunities in your area that match your interests.  If you have kids who you want to get in on the volunteering or who just love to help check out The BIG Help and The BIG GREEN Help. Give a little money (as  little as $5.00 can make a big impact) to a charity that you are somehow connected to (cancer, pediatrics- such as St.Jude, juvenile diabetes, heart disease, asthma, etc) once a year if possible. 

If you don't have a lot of time or money to give, give as you can and try to help change the world one person at a time! Soon you'll see that finding the right volunteer activity is something good that you can do for both yourself and others. Help make this world a better place for future generations.