An angel writing

An angel writing

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Special Announcement: Moving to my website

Hey everyone!

I want to let everyone know that I'll be moving some of those blog posts on here to my official website: http://www.angelwritercreations.com

There you can also check out some video highlights from my youtube channel, links, and also my official Knitz Knitz store.  They will moved slowly over the next couple of weeks.  So, if you are still interested in reading my stuff, I'll be posting more over there.  I'm even going to move some of my poetry there as well.  So, please subscribe and follow me and also be sure to log onto my Twitter: http://twitter.com/angelwriter78

Thanks...its something I'm looking to do so that way I can do everything all in one place.


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

How to get turned off from Volunteering

How to get turned off from Volunteering


Volunteering is something most of us do because it is in our blood and we believe in the idea or the cause.  We volunteer because we want to feel good, help others, and for some put some notches into our reputation or resume.


But what happens when you do volunteer for something but the group you volunteer for has members who are “yes men” and opposed to common sense or differing opinions?  What if you end up with a group in which you feel like you are the only one, who gives a shit, and everyone else, just doesn’t care anymore?   How about some groups in which you feel like the black sheep and that group is nothing more than a clique?


I’m sure that you are looking for a few specific examples.  With that in mind, below I have a few true stories in which the names and faces have been changed to protect the innocent with the purpose of showing the truth in the ridiculous:


Tina had just finished a grand retreat at her church.  While she enjoyed the experienced and gained a lot of healing and knowledge from it, she felt that perhaps she could improve on things and try her hand out in a few areas that interested her.  So, when she filled out a survey at the end of the retreat, she gave her contact information.


She was soon contacted about upcoming meetings and events, but she suddenly felt doubtful because while she wanted to be a volunteer, she also felt that it was too soon to do so and wanted to wait until another time.  In addition, she was burnt out from a lot of things and needed to take a break to clear her mind and just step away for a while.   So, in a couple weeks she received another email about perhaps having a special meeting to reflect and get deeper into the retreat experience.  It sounded all well and good to her; however, she felt as if her time was being demanded of and made it known in a very polite manner.  That’s when her email box flooded and her concerns and slight dissent was opposed.  Suddenly, she felt like was being seen as the bad guy just for voicing a concern.   She then thought, “Well, if this is how a new person to the experience is going to be treated and a differing opinion is not going to be respected or considered, then why should I even become a part of this?”  And thus, she walked away.


Chad was part of a group of like-minded individuals.  It was mostly a social group, but they also did a lot of volunteer work.  As Chad got more involved, he felt something was off.  It didn’t feel like a cohesive group.  In fact, it felt as if the group was becoming more like a popularity club than a group of people who got along with everyone.  This concerned him a bit, but he shrugged it off and just kept doing what he was supposed to do and join in when he could.  As time went on, and he began to attend more planning meetings, he would bring up certain concerns with respect and not to sound as if he were pushy or anything.  The group just looked at him, listened, didn’t really say anything and moved on.  Eventually, the group began to shrink, Chad got frustrated, and soon Chad went his separate way to find a group that he felt would listen to his concerns.


Cari was part of an organization with a fantastic reputation for their action on women’s right for many years.  She loved the people and she got along with them well.  However, whenever she’d try to bring up a new idea or at least expressed her opposing opinion, members of the group would look at her in disgust or give one reason or another as to why her idea would not be viable.  In some cases the issue was dropped and in other cases, the group would suddenly use that idea as their own when a more “respected” member would come up with it.  This angered and frustrated Cari to the point that she decided to quit the group and walk away.


Al enjoyed the activist group he was in.  It was to legalize marijuana.  He knew that he could trust everyone in the group because they were all good friends, and in general there seemed to be a great camaraderie.   However, the group seemed like they cared more about partying and hanging out than actually going out there, writing letters, and just doing the work for the cause.    He would end up doing all the work while the group as a whole got credit. Even when he stated that he was responsible for some of the work, he was silenced and was told to just roll with it.  Eventually, he got burnt out and left claiming he was too busy.


Katherine joined up with a group that was composed of multiple generations.  She was one of its younger members.  When she first went to one of their conventions, she felt a little awkward and didn’t know anyone.  Eventually, she began to know people but she still felt intimidated.  Even worse, no matter what kind of point she tried to make during a meeting or even during casual moments, the members didn’t pay her any mind or felt she was too young and naïve to believe in such matters.  As a result, she started focusing more on her career and her own friends and left the group because of her busy schedule but also because of how unappreciated she felt.


If you can identify with any of these issues, you are not alone.  In one way, shape or form, we have all experienced the slings and arrows of outrageous discombobulating when it comes to helping out and volunteering for an event, a retreat, an organization, etc.  We feel like the organization or cause just doesn’t agree with us anymore.  The intention was good and the drive and energy was there, but when the back-biting, poor planning, and no conclusions forced us to stare down the barrel of a gun, we began to think a little bit differently.


Based on these above stories, can you blame these people for dropping or bowing out?  I know I certainly can’t.