Can we hang on to that new world smell?
(Image by pauladamsmith)

Has this ever happened to you?

Something exciting is calling you to action, and you hear the call. But in the gap between hearing it and doing something about it, you lose the thread. You might be unsure where to start, you might be unable to choose between several interests, or you maybe you just fall victim to inertia, and your enthusiasm wanes with each passing day.

Sooner or later, you’re back to where you started, far less excited and a little more cynical in what you think of the whole idea of “being called” anyway.

I know this has happened to me. I’ve had great experiences with gifted teachers and leaders, but what do those experiences mean if they don’t end up changing my life? If I don’t change in response to them?

The answer is: they become like pictures taken from a vacation, lovely memories wrapped in plastic in the archives.

On the other hand, when we allow amazing experiences to change us, we grow. When we stretch ourselves to integrate important events into who we are, we honor their significance. If we let it, the light of truth glimpsed in a single moment can illuminate our entire lives.

I hope more than anything else that we can bring the light we saw on Tuesday night, November 4th, into the rest of our lives. As I said the other day, the ball is rolling and we have momentum on our side. We need to keep it going.

How to do that is the next question. There are so many projects going on, so many problems to be solved, and so many ways to contribute that it can be a little overwhelming. From food justice to environmental education to energy efficiency, we have a lot of area to cover. Where to begin?

Here are some good questions to answer as you think about how you want to contribute.

1. What is interesting?
Really consider what fascinates you. Do you like talking to people about their families? Watching bugs? Taking things apart? Biking through your neighborhood? Think about what you’d really enjoy doing to help create the future. It can and should be fun!

2. What needs the most attention?
Look around your community. Is there something that stands out to you as just wrong? Something that seems like it could work a lot better if someone just took care of it? Maybe you can be that someone by taking responsibility for something that’s being neglected, and helping it thrive again.

3. Is there anything I’m uniquely suited to do?
Do you have any specialized gifts or training that could be of use? Are you positioned in a social or professional network with great potential? Got a burning idea that needs to be fleshed out? If you see a clear role that you are in place to play, play it!

4. What are my family and friends doing?
Ask around and get this conversation going with the people you see every day. You may be surprised which of them are contributing in different ways.

Once you have some ideas that sound appealing, start Googling and see where you can run with them. Some good places to start:

• VolunteerMatch finds opportunities based on interest and location (even virtual location). I typed in 15210 and seniors and got 50 matches right off the bat.
• Wiser Earth is a growing database of non-governmental organizations working on environmental, social, and justice issues. There are over 110,000 groups represented on this site!
• Meetup.com lets you find others who are interested in the same things you are. These groups aren’t specifically based on volunteering, but there are lots of environmental meetup groups, book clubs, discussion groups, etc.
• Helpothers.org is an informal network of people doing nice things for others. Positive contributions don’t have to be made via formal volunteering arrangements—they can be as simple and sweet as the stories on this site. Reading through these small, lovely acts always inspires me to think of random ways I can increase the net happiness in the world.

Remember: Any project is better than no project.

It might take you a little time to figure out your next steps. But it’s important to take those steps soon—before your enthusiasm wanes and invigoration turns into memory. Give yourself a little time to explore, but not too much.

Folks are often loathe to jump into new endeavors, but the truth is you will never know if something is right for you until you try it. If you get involved in a project and you don’t like it, you can always gracefully bow out and try something else.

But sitting around trying to decide—that is, inaction—almost always leads to inaction. So don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. Pick a project and get started.

Then come back here to The Sunny Way and tell us about what you’re doing, who you’re meeting, and what you’re learning.