... are the ones who never do anything." More and more it seems that people find a surplus of excuses to avoid making an attempt to help anyone at all. It has been morphed into human nature to want to see results immediately. This idea of instant gratification is not typically something that exists when performing community service. It can takes weeks, months, even years before some semblance progress is noticeable.
A good example I can think of is volunteering at Horses Help. Often times just working with one rider for a single lesson can show little to no change. Even following a rider through a ride session may not reveal much improvement. In some cases, the most obvious points may be setbacks. In order to see significant change it is sometimes necessary to back up and take a look at long term progress. For instance, a good way to feel accomplished working with a rider can be to speak with their instructor or coach to see where they started and just how far they have come. Just working there for one day can be stressful because you don't feel like you have made much of a difference. However, like chapter three implies, it is important to take things one step at a time. Big triumphs are truly a mass of small victories in disguise.
Cynicism is quickly becoming a societal norm in that the majority tends to believe that if something is bad or wrong that there is nothing that can be done to even try to change it. No matter how small the effort, it helps to influence those around you to follow your lead. These triumphs do not happen overnight. They are often exceptionally slow to advance.
Personally, it was difficult at first to feel like I was not accomplishing as much as I could. Last semester, when I started volunteering for Horses Help, it was very slow going from the start. I did a lot of sitting, watching and waiting to be put into a class. I felt like my five hours had contributed little. I realize now that there is a brief period of acclimation. After a few weeks, I was added to schedules and began to find myself very busy on Saturday mornings. I have learned that you can not expect to jump into something and hope to move mountains on your own. It takes teamwork and time and even sometimes some failures in order to facilitate change.
Title/opening quote from http://www.wordboner.com/post/82209368/the-only-people-who-never-fail-are-the-ones-who
I really liked reading your blog, especially since I can relate to how you felt to how I kind of feel right now with horses help. I also realized how you are most likely are not going to be able to see any difference from the beginning of a lesson to the end of one, but you can hear about how a rider has progressed greatly from when they started. I think that it is difficult for us to work at something and to not see results because it discourages us into thinking that we do not make any difference.
ReplyDelete"The only people who never fail, are the ones who never do anything."
ReplyDeleteI liked that beginning ..
And yes, I agree with you. You can't expect to jump into something and see instant results. It takes time, and many other factors to be successful. I, myself, have had problems with this and had to learn that not everything is instantaneous. Never give-up and never fail. Little steps are the best way to reach your goal, even if it doesn't seem like it.
I am so happy that you were able to make this connection Nicole! I think that our entire team feels this way right now, and knowing that in time we will see the change is comforting. Sometimes you don't see a significant change in any volunteering you do, but in the end, remembering that every little bit you do counts helps each of us get through the notion of instant gratification!
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