Volunteer for something you are passionate about.

Many times people volunteer because they are asked to and even made to feel a little guilty about it if they don’t. My son and I were great at building fast pinewood derby cars; he won 3 years in a row. When the Cubmaster retired, I decided to take the position because I really liked being a part of all the activities. I was passionate about the program.

It’s ok to say no, and sometimes it’s important to say no for a good reason.

You have a life and it’s important to keep that life in balance. If you volunteer for everything that comes along then someone is being sacrificed for your time. My wife and I used to do just about everything in Church until we realized how miserable we were as a family. We rarely had family time, as we were too busy trying to fix everyone else’s problems. I quit feeling guilty about not doing everything at church and decided God intended me to be great at a few things, not just good at several.

Use the talents you have to the community’s advantage.

I like working with young people, so I took over the scouts. I have a good knowledge on how a business works so I try to run the scouting organization like a business. I have good marketing skills so I helped the scouts raise enough money to keep them running for at least 3 years. I am fairly good at writing articles so I keep the community posted on what’s happening. I was an auto mechanic so I developed a pinewood derby seminar. Make good use of the talents you have so you can make the community strong using your strongest ally yourself!

Be prepared to be disappointed without losing heart.

Many times I have put together a program, showed up for a meeting and poured my heart into the volunteer organization only to see maybe one or two people show up. It is disheartening to say the least, but that is what volunteerism and citizenship is about. You have to take the valleys with the mountain top experiences. You soon find out that volunteer organizations are just that, they may or may not show up, it’s not like a company where all the employees know they have a job to do, but there will be people in your volunteer organization that really make up for the down times. Although I can say that I have learned the curve and now cancel certain things if I don’t get the commitment from enough people.

Be sincere or get out. (A little harsh, but true)

If you can’t be sincere with what you are doing in an organization or in general for the community then maybe it’s time you got out. You won’t be doing anyone any favors by faking your passion for a program, event or organization. I’ve seen this time and again, someone is in the community organization simply because they feel like they have some power from being on a board or committee. Being sincere about helping others is what’s important, not pushing your agenda onto someone just to get your way. If you don’t work well with the elderly than you shouldn’t be on the Nursing home committee, same goes for the Little League board if you don’t have a passion for keeping the games fun for the kids. Get out if you can’t be sincere about helping the people who are affected by what you are doing.

Be cordial but strict.

Look, your not going to like everyone in your community and possibly not even in your organization that you have so politely joined. But it is always good to be cordial and professional. You don’t always know the situation. We had a Den leader who said she would be at a meeting but didn’t show up. She was also in our kickboxing class and didn’t give a reason for not showing up. We thought we had done something wrong, come to find out she was pregnant and was having sickness along with it. She couldn’t tell us because she wanted to keep it to her family for a while. It was still new to them and special. If we had confronted her in a rude way then she would have thought very differently of us.
But be strict. If someone is getting out of hand in your organization and it is causing great stress and problems for others, let them know that it won’t be tolerated. Being a good citizen doesn’t mean you have to let people walk all over you. On the contrary, others will think more of you if “nip it in the bud” before it goes too far, especially if you are the leader of the organization.

Go above and beyond when least expected.

It’s easy to go above and beyond when everyone is watching, but when you have the opportunity to be there for someone when the crowd isn’t watching, that’s what makes a great citizen. If you are a business owner it is a necessity to “toot your own horn” as often as possible, otherwise you may not be in business very long. Before we had our son, my wife and I decided one Christmas Eve to go over to an elderly couples house, whom we knew wouldn’t have any family over. We spent several hours there thinking we were there to bring them some joy, of course as you find out, we were the ones who were blessed. Being a good citizen means being a good neighbor when least expected.

Maxims of a Good Citizen.

Of course we have to talk about the common denominators that make a good citizen:
Voting at election time. Be a voice in your community with your vote.
Respect your neighbors by taking care of your home and any pets.
Take care of the environment around you.
Follow the rules of your family, your school and society.
Be considerate, encouraging, friendly and thoughtful to make your school, community and world a better place.

Be a “Good” finder.

As a martial arts teacher, I always remind my leadership team to be a “Good” finder. They look for something that a student is doing well or excellent and they compliment them on that aspect of their training instead of just trying to correct them on what they are doing wrong. Believe it or not, everyone has something wrong with him or her, just asks his or her neighbor! But guess what? Everyone has something they are doing right, very well and even excellent. Find that thing that a person is doing well “Good”; make a positive comment on it and you will be building a positive relationship with them. We have enough negative in our life, be a “Good” finder and bring some positive atmosphere with you when you meet others in your community.

Be yourself, but practice being better at it.

People want to know the real you and it’s important to be yourself and to be relaxed when around others, but that doesn’t mean you shell out all your troubles and don’t care what you say, or who is listening. We all have problems in our lives, but the old saying goes, if you threw your troubles into a pile with several other people, you would gladly take your troubles back out and keep them. Practice listening first and talking second. Learn how to react appropriately to others, don’t be overdramatic, but don’t be passive either. Be calm when listening and responding to others concerns, especially in meetings, but also show your passion for what you believe in. I have found that being patient and not condescending can get you a long way. If you feel like they are just totally wrong then repeat what they have said as in “help me understand what you are saying”. I say practice being better at being yourself because patience and reacting in the appropriate way takes lots of practice. But you can do it. Work on yourself to be that person who people will come to when they need help. The help of a “Good Citizen”.