Too busy to volunteer? Me too.

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Keith Welch
  • 325th Civil Engineer Squadron
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A mentor of mine once told me I should volunteer. "Yah, right," I thought. I heard this advice before, but this time it resonated with me, mostly because of what he didn't say. He didn't tell me I would get a gold star, a great bullet on my Officer Performance Report, or that volunteering would make me competitive for a quarterly award. He didn't push a particular organization or try to oversell the point by telling me the community was depending on me. I knew all of those reasons, and they all seemed either too remote or too shallow to light my fire for volunteering . What struck me about my mentor's pitch was its simplicity and zen-like quality. He simply told me I would be surprised what volunteering could teach me about myself. He encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and just do something I had never done before. 

I don't mind telling you I was still pretty stubborn. I still had lots of great reasons why it would be impossible for me to volunteer. I had a really busy job that kept me from seeing much of my family already. When I did get home, I was too tired to play much with my young children. How was I going to squeeze one more thing into my schedule? Besides, I didn't even know who needed help. It's not like people take out classified ads for 
volunteers. Nonetheless, the advice rattled around in my brain and would not let me go. 

A few weeks went by and I found myself at Airmen and Family Readiness Center. I don't recall what prompted me to go there or how the conversation got started, but I soon found there was a need for instructors to teach the basic Microsoft Office tools like Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access. I told them "no." 

My excuse generator went into high gear. Sure, my job had taught me the basics, but there was no way I knew enough to teach others. I had no teaching skills. There was no lesson plan, and I didn't know how to make one. My anxiety level was high. I was looking for a door, a window -- any means of escape. I was at the very edge of my comfort-zone envelope. 

I mulled it over for another couple of weeks and discussed it with my wife before deciding to take the plunge and give it a try. The first few classes were a bit rocky, but I soon got into a rhythm. During the course of each one-hour class, I was able to take six to seven scared, novice computer users and give them enough basic skills and confidence to grow and explore further on their own. It felt great. The most surprising part was the classes were actually giving me energy. Of course, I had to be more disciplined at work to make time for class; but at the end of a very long work day, I was dragging. Then, I would teach class for an hour and walk out energized. It was the most amazing thing. Each class taught me as much about myself as I was able to teach the students. They learned to make spreadsheets, and I learned about organization, motivation and leadership. I learned that I really like people. I draw energy from talking with them and helping them solve problems. 

If you still think you're too busy to volunteer, think about this paradox: volunteering can actually give you more free time. I was surprised to find that volunteering made my day job easier. The people I met while teaching became a ready network I could tap for advice and help on a variety of projects. Suddenly, my solutions were better, and I finished more quickly; giving me more free time, which was a bonus. If you have kids, volunteering for something you can all do together nets you a double bonus.
If you can't think of where to apply your talents visit Ms. Catherine Tarrant at the A&FRC. She keeps a list of organizations on- and off-base that need help and they plug people into position where needed. She can also arrange for free childcare to make volunteering easier. 

So, don't volunteer to get a gold star, or to save the world. Volunteer for yourself. Step out onto the edge of that scary diving board that is your comfort zone, take a great big leap of faith, and do a crazy, audacious swan dive into the pool of volunteer opportunities. You'll be surprised how cool and refreshing the water is. You'll be surprised what you can learn about yourself in the process.