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.

Swallow Your Pride and Learn Something

I spent my morning at a workshop for goal-setting and visualizing your future. I tried to approach the opportunity with an open-mind and without any preconceived notions.

We broke into groups and discussed what each of us came up with during a brief exercise in which we closed our eyes and pictured where we wanted to be professionally, personally, and even spiritually a year from now.

One of the coaches joined my group. He listened to each of us discuss our plans before jumping in and offering his take on how to navigate the road ahead.

He was earnest and very passionate. I tried to give over to what he was suggesting but had trouble getting past his youth, nearly wondering out loud what credibility he had. This isn’t my first rodeo, I thought to myself. 

But as the workshop went on I gave over to the belief that if I could learn just one thing it was worth my participation. I needed to be more flexible in my thinking, make an effort to take in the point of view of another person before deciding to dismiss it, or apply it.

In the end, the lesson was: swallow your pride and focus on what you can gain. Someone, no matter who, will ALWAYS know something that you don't.