Volunteer

In the fall of 2009 I volunteered as a youth mentor at a high school for young men between the ages of 14 and 18. Each week we would talk about goal-setting, serving the community, and the importance of constant self-improvement. I loved my time at the school. The students dreamed big, had brilliant ideas, and taught me far more than I offered them. 

The experience in Queens was just the beginning. Soon I found myself giving resume workshops at a women's shelter, offering tips to nervous high school students on public speaking, setting up beds at a men's shelter, and mentoring a homeless man trying to get back on his feet. By 2013, I was doing similar work at orphanages and schools around the world.

The people I met from all my travels became a compass steering me towards a life of greater purpose. I redefined what was important and tried to live in accordance with my core values. Along the way I discovered a few things:

-- There will always be someone in the world facing greater obstacles than you

-- Service to others immediately takes the focus of yourself offering a dose of much-needed perspective

-- Helping people help themselves gives integrity to your ambition. There’s nothing quite like the fulfillment you get from helping, in whatever small way, improve the life of another person.