Paul tells us how he's become one of those "bloody do-gooders!"
I must confess, I’ve always been a bit suspicious of people who do stuff for other folks and don’t expect anything in return. I’m not talking about parents doing things for their children, or friends helping one another out, but people who elect to do nice things for perfect strangers!
That’s until I discovered the power of volunteering.
If you work in the creative industries, admit it - a huge part of the ‘job satisfaction’ package is getting clients to acknowledge how wonderful and clever you are. It almost justifies the money you get to charge them (for an idea that was probably suggested by a hapless intern, which you picked up and polished into your very own…)
I wouldn’t say that it’s addictive, but the thrill of selling someone a genuinely great bit of creative – or even something simple that nails the client’s brief – does become a habit you don’t want to give up.
So, imagine my surprise when I signed up to do some volunteering and discovered a satisfaction that’s quite beyond anything I’ve experienced in my professional life.
The thing is, if you only do things for the approbation and kudos you think you deserve – you end up chasing an impossible dream that at best can’t be fulfilled, and at worst just leaves you feeling empty and cheated. If you’re not careful, you start to treat every ‘No’ as a deep personal slight, and believe that the client who says it just isn’t equipped to appreciate your wisdom and worth.
With volunteering, it’s quite possible to be doing things for people you’ll never meet – but you know they’re there, and you know they’ll be grateful. For me to hang some pictures in a community rehearsal space doesn’t really benefit me in the usual way at all – but knowing that it makes the place a little bit more appealing, and that the people who use the facilities might appreciate that, really DOES make me feel better. I don’t need people to slap me on the back and say what a great bit of picture hanging I’ve done – because it’s nothing to me. But the fact that I did it might mean something to them.
Having said that, when you turn up to a food bank on a very cold and wet morning with a delivery – and you see the genuine gratitude on the queuing recipients’ faces – I have to tell you, it’s pretty powerful. And all you did was turn up!
If you spend your professional days trying to live up to the idea that you’re important and clever in the role you do, I’d urge you to try doing stuff for people who maybe haven’t had the same opportunities you did.
If nothing else, and at the very least, it might make you feel grateful for what you have.
