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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>The Transformative Power of Serving Others <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Posted: 08/15/2013 3:26 pm<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My life has been transformed! I've moved from feelings of low self-esteem, failure and anger to great levels of joy, gratitude, clarity and more. How'd<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I do it? By serving others -- something anyone can do. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Last year I left my dream job without a plan for my future. Unfortunately, the job I once loved became something that negatively impacted me, and I realized<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I had a choice to make: I could either stay tied to a dream or I could wake up, see my reality and create my next dream. I chose the latter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Suddenly I found myself without the stress of my career, but also with an enormous amount of free time. I tried many ways to fill my time, but none were<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>very fulfilling. So as I continued to brainstorm, the idea of Thirty Days of Service was born -- to complete 30 service projects with 30 organizations<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>in 30 consecutive days. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>After two months of planning, I embarked on my journey. Thirty days later, I emerged transformed. It was fun and challenging, but I never expected to experience<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>such revelations. My 30 days helped me see things differently -- my community, my fellow man, my past, my present. Here are a few of the gifts I received<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>from serving.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Oh Joy!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>During my 30 days of service, I experienced joy on a number of occasions, but one day sticks out. I was working with a 74-year-old veteran, Benito, delivering<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>meals to homebound seniors. While such an activity isn't an obvious source of joy, Benito's outlook on helping others, paired with his effervescent personality,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>made it rather joyous. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>While driving around Hollywood, Benito reminded me that when serving you must focus on the good you are doing rather than on the struggle of those you are<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>helping. Instead of only seeing someone's poor living conditions, he soaked in their smile, honored the human connection being made and took that with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>him. Putting his example into practice led me to positive interactions that, although brief, touched my heart. By the end of the day I realized that while<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the food I was delivering was important, I was really delivering joy by acknowledging that these seniors matter. That realization filled me with the greatest<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>sense of joy I have ever known. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>With Gratitude<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Holding gratitude in our hearts does amazing things, perhaps most profound of all is that it multiplies. Through my service, I started to see aspects of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>my life, past and present, somewhat differently and with a much greater sense of understanding and gratitude.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>One day I volunteered with the Dream Foundation, an organization that grants wishes to adults battling terminal illnesses. In doing so, I had the privilege<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>of helping deliver a family vacation to Jean, who is battling cancer, and her family. Jean does not dwell on her illness; instead, she is deeply grateful<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>for each day she wakes up, for all she has experienced in life, for having had the opportunity to be a mom and for so much more.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Visiting Jean got me thinking about how much I have to be grateful for, as well as how often I take things for granted. Because of her, I now try to express<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>gratitude for merely waking up and having a body and mind that allow me to pursue my dreams. I am also more conscious of all I have, especially the many<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>people in my life. And I've even become grateful for each wrinkle on my face, as they remind me that I've had a lifetime of smiles. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sweet Clarity<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Clarity is a funny thing; you can be clear on something only after you look back and acknowledge that you were lacking clarity. As I entered my 30 days,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>seeking clarity wasn't on the agenda, but I sure did find it. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My eighth service project was to record a video for the It Gets Better Project, an effort that brings stories of hope to those facing the challenges of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>figuring out their sexual identity. Like many other gay men, I struggled with my sexuality for years and was, at times, the victim of bullying. My life<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>is now proof that "it gets better," which is why I wanted to share my story.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Recording this seven-minute video forced me out of my comfort zone, as I rarely talk about my childhood challenges and my struggles as a young adult. By<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>doing so, I realized that not all of my old wounds are healed and that I still carry shame with me -- not shame about being gay, but shame related to how<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>my peers saw me. The clarity I gained from this experience cleared the way for me to truly be free, not something I ever expected from a service project.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Gift of Service<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Mahatma Gandhi said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." How true! My hope is that you will go out and serve.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you try something and don't find it rewarding, try something else. But use every service experience to learn or affirm something. Going into my project, I was not expecting my world to change, but it did. And so can yours. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-jamison/thirty-days-of-service_b_3763437.html?view=print&comm_ref=false<span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>