5 Ways to Serve Others

Good morning and happy Tuesday!  Today I’m linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals for Show and Tell Tuesday by sharing 5 Ways to Serve Others.  

I’ll be honest, for most of my life I didn’t really get this.  It was not a matter of wanting to serve but more lack of knowledge as to how to serve.  Some people get a bad rap for sharing all the ways they serve others but I say if you are sharing from the right place in your heart share away because there is someone out there longing to serve who just needs a little push to know how!

Today I’m sharing my favorite ways to serve others!

Serve Others With Time

Depending on what stage of life you are in, giving your time may be your biggest gift.  Whether you have some excess hours on your hands or you have a tight budget, giving hours to others can really make a difference.  What I will say is really think about finding a good fit for you; something you are truly passionate about and may have a needed gift.  For instance, if you know you are good with money you might gravitate towards a treasurer role but answer the call for silent auction because it is needed.  I’m speaking from experience when you pick the wrong role you can quickly feel overwhelmed.  Here are a few ideas!

• Volunteer at your local food bank or serve a Thanksgiving meal
• Participate in your schools PTO; be sure to choose a position you can succeed at!
• Visit an assisted living facility and play games with residents
• Offer to babysit for a friend so she can go Christmas shopping alone (and then hope she returns the gift!)
• Sit with a friend who is feeling down or lost and just listen
• Run errands for a friend who may be recovering from an illness or battling cancer

Serve Others With Words

Believe it or not using your words to lift others up can be incredibly powerful.

• Pick up some notecards and send some snail mail to some friends you are thankful for!
• Write a note to a coworker or peer and let them know what a great job they are doing.
• Pick up some post it notes and write motivational quotes on a stack and post them on bathroom mirrors as you run errands  This is my personal favorite!
• Don’t forget to write those sweet notes right in your own house!  Serving your family is sometimes the first to go but it is incredibly important.

Serve Others With Actions

You’ve heard it said a thousand times, actions speak louder than words and it really is true.  Here are some super small ways you can serve others with actions.

• Grab those extra carts from the parking lot and return to the appropriate stall
• Pick up that piece of trash on the sidewalk
• Grab some bottles of water and hand them out to service workers; sanitation workers, lawn workers, policemen, etc
• Roll out your neighbors trash can or roll it back in after trash day
• Bake something and deliver to your local firehouse, police station, doctor or dentist office (the list is endless really!)

Serve Others With Money

Do not discount the green stuff!  I use to worry so much about being seen volunteering, mainly at the kids school.  The fact is I chose to work outside the home and God blessed me with an amazing career so I definitely had to learn writing a check is just as big of a deal and, honestly, when time is tight it makes me a happier mom and wife.

We all love to shop right?  Find those shops who give back!  Here are just a few I know!

• The Shop Forward
• Pure Vida
• Amazon Smile

Of course with all the natural disasters and recent shootings there are always ways to donate to help.  I would just caution you to always research how the organization is using the funds and look at the administrative cost of their organization.  Giving through your church if you are a member somewhere is often and easy way to know the funds will be used wisely.

Serve Others With Random Acts of Kindness

Random acts might just be my favorite because the smiles it creates will astound you and bless you tenfold.  Here are a few we have personally carried out and I can tell you seeing the smile on another’s face when they realize what’s happened is huge.  These are definitely also easy to do anonymously and you can just sit back and see the joy from afar!

• Pay it forward by purchasing someones meal at a restaurant or drive thru window
• Grab a candy bar while checking out at the grocery store and hand it to the cashier as a treat
• Purchase a stack of $5 Sonic or Chick Fil A cards to keep on hand to give to recognize someone you see being a kind person or working extra hard.  Sometimes it may just be that cashier that is just having a crappy day!  You would be surprised how it will change both your attitude and theirs!
• Grab a bunch of roses and stand at the entrance to a store and hand them out to strangers.  We actually did this at a hotel and handed out to the cleaning crew.
• Tape change to random vending machines with a note!
• Write a message to tie onto candy canes and hand out in the stores over the holidays
• Send a care package to someone off at college or to military personnel

Hopefully these will get you thinking!

Serving others can be intimidating at first.  You may worry about looking dumb or fear a negative reaction.  Typically this is because our natural tendency is to make serving others about us!  Once you begin to give you will feel  your heart shift and begin to truly see serving others has zero to do with you and everything to do with someone else.  Believe me, you will always be able to find someone out there having a crappier day than you and serving can turn your frown upside down!

I can’t wait to read other posts from Show & Tell Tuesday and see how others serve!

You can see previous Show & Tell from 2017 below!

Save or Splurge

My Loves

Kids Birthday Parties

Top 5 Pictures

Memory Lane

The Struggle is Real

What’s in Your Bag