#9 - volunteer at least twice/month

Lately my blog posts have felt like “reasons why I am not doing the things I set out to do in my happy and healthy goals” Is this what happens to everyone 4 months in? Do you start out strong and motivated and inspired but then when life happens, you kind of forget (or you remember but tell yourself “not now, I’m busy” and so you rationalize why you haven’t been able to do what you wanted to do).  I am sure Gretchen Rubin can talk about this but I haven't read any of her books or listened to her on podcasts inwhile so I am not sure what she would say...

And here’s the catch – this blog was supposed to help keep me on track but I am actually 3 weeks overdue on even writing this post.

The other issue is whether my goals were clear enough/specific enough for me to actually say I’ve been successful. If I volunteered more than every 2 weeks from January – March, do I get to save the extras to redeem then for the months that I am not volunteering at all? And who am I even asking this question to? Myself? My inner critic? My one follower on this blog? What do I need in order to feel successful or more importantly, what do I need to feel happy and healthy?

Volunteering definitely makes me feel good. I really enjoyed volunteering with the foster organization in Kenora. I felt like I was part of a community, I enjoyed the routine I had with my friend where we would volunteer and then go for a walk or a ski. And I felt like I was making a difference and it made me happy to be working with the dogs. So yes, I want to volunteer again. I have explored things like Eco Superior and Earth Care in Thunder Bay which are organizations that are doing work that is important to me. And volunteering with a rescue organization is not off the table. But I think I enjoyed volunteering in Kenora for the other factors that I described above and it wasn't just volunteering for the sake of volunteering.

Hmmmm, so is this rationalization? Maybe. Or maybe it is figuring out what I need for a volunteer experience to be healthy and happy? And so am I successful with this goal? If learning what aspects of experiences give me purpose and joy and what aspects of experiences I am doing because of feelings of “should” then I would say – YES!

So stayed tuned.  The desire is there but now trying to find the right fit.