Former FBI director James Comey recalls a life altering realisation in his recent, highly anticipated book, A Higher Loyalty. Struggling with a major, career-defining dilemma, his wife told him to remember “it’s not about you”.
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He had a lightbulb model, changed his perspective and navigated his way out of the conundrum.
Comey’s revelation has resonance right now, during National Volunteer Week. Realising life is not about you is what drives so many to donate their time and effort to causes and services beyond their own interests.
It’s estimated some six million Australians volunteer their time every year, in all manner of ways.
We see them in our local community – the hospital auxiliaries raising money for children’s wards, the State Emergency Service people helping in times of trouble, the Rural Fire Service members fighting blazes or attending traffic accidents. They’re the mums and dads and aunts and uncles helping the sporting clubs tick along, the local historians who keep the museum going, the Bushcare and Landcare folk who look after the environment.
The theme for this year's National Volunteer Week is the incredible effect volunteers make in our communities.
Research cited on the Volunteering Australia website suggests volunteering yields a 450 per cent return on every dollar invested. That equates nationally to an estimated annual economic and social contribution of $290 billion a year.
Of course, very few volunteers would be running these figures through their minds. They just do it because they want to make a contribution. They want to help others.
What these selfless volunteers might not immediately realise is that helping others is probably helping them at the same time.
They’re forming bonds with other members of the community and, by socialising, looking after their mental health. Brain function is improved; anxiety and depression sent into retreat.
Volunteering helps build confidence and self-esteem. This is particularly useful for young people. Seeing positive results from your efforts – especially those directed to the benefit of others – makes you feel like a better person. And if it’s physical it can make you a stronger person.
So this week, think about volunteering. It’s not about you but you, too, stand to benefit by donating your time.