You're just not happy in your work right now. Maybe this happened gradually, over time, or maybe—if you're honest—this is never the work you wanted to do. What you know is you want to make a change. But besides pie in the sky ideas (like starting a puppy therapy program even though you're allergic to [...]
Being persistent is a strength—right? I sure assumed it was for a long time. Whatever I went after, I went after hard—from becoming a faster runner in high school, to learning to speak Setswana in South Africa. I also kind of thrived on logging hours toward a goal because since I was working so hard, [...]
Who helps you trust yourself? Who helps you do what you need to do—even when no one else might understand it? Cheryl Strayed does for me. I found her about five years ago when I was in a work transition. A friend sent this Dear Sugar column, and I was hooked. First, it was a [...]
How self critical do you tend to be? Are you gentle with yourself by nature—talking and taking care of yourself the way you do others? Or do you tend to be pretty hard on yourself? If it’s the latter, you’re like many volunteers I know—and like I’ve been a lot of my life. It makes [...]
We all need our heroes. Those people who help lift us up and remind us how we want to live, what matters to us, and what we're capable of—especially when we feel discouraged and fragmented. I find the people who move me most, especially as I get older, aren’t those who seem untouchable. It’s those [...]
Being persistent is a strength—right? I sure assumed it was for a long time. Whatever I went after, I went after hard—from becoming a faster runner in high school, to learning to speak Setswana in South Africa. I also kind of thrived on logging hours toward a goal because since I was working so hard, [...]
It seems a bit cruel that sometimes the richer a volunteer experience is, the tougher the transition feels into life afterward. There are obvious reasons for this: we’re losing a unique community and work life we had that gave us purpose, meaningful challenge, joy. And we also have to make a lot of decisions at [...]
What job is right for you? Do you have a specific picture in your mind—for example, director of an organization that transforms underutilized urban spaces into neighborhood-run farms (like Seattle’s Alleycat Acres)? Or do you know broadly what you want to do, but aren’t sure what kind of jobs would let you do it? For [...]
How do you feel when you want to say no to someone? Think about at work and in your personal life—with people you just met, and people you’ve known for a long time. Is saying no usually a pretty clear, calm experience? Or have you—like a lot of us—sometimes struggled to get no out? (hand [...]
Do you know the larger direction you want to go in after volunteering? Or do you feel—like a lot of us—a little stuck between doing what you think the world needs, and doing what you enjoy? On the one hand, of course, there’s so much across the country and world that needs supporting, speaking up [...]