Have you ever noticed that helping others helps us more than the person we’re helping? What is it about volunteering our time, energy, and efforts that gets our souls filled? Why is it that some find it easier to volunteer while others would rather drag their teeth on ice cold razors? Why is it that every university in the world requires some form of volunteering and most jobs nowadays encourage philanthropy by their employees? There are many benefits of volunteering both to our organizations and individuals we help support as well as ourselves.
The following blog is all about volunteering and how it can help produce glee (or joy) from within. I incorporate what science says, add some personal and professional experiences to help personalize the information for you and include some fun GIPHYs to keep the mood gleeful. Stay to the end to hear about a program I’m really proud to share with you.
#1 Volunteering Strategy: 
Know what it looks like to volunteer and how it make us feel gleeful.
There was a great study conducted by Kellon Ko, Seth Margolis, Julia Revord & Sonja Lyubomirsky and published in 2019 titled: “Comparing the effects of performing and recalling acts of kindness.” They wanted to discover whether performing kind acts or recalling kind acts they once performed helped improve well being more strongly.
I find it interesting that thinking about (or recalling) kind acts individuals performed was easier to do than actually performing the kind acts. However recalling and/or performing improved well-being more so than the control group. So whether you perform a kind act or you think about a kind act you once performed in the past, you are literally improving your own well-being (and thus becoming more gleeful 
).
How freaking cool is that?
We have the power to think a thought and help improve our own moods!
What does volunteering in something you enjoy look like for you? Share to your Facebook and tag us @TheRealMoveHappy for a chance to be featured on the official Facebook Page.
#2 Volunteering Strategy: What empirical evidence is available demonstrating that volunteering helps us feel gleeful?
I found a really interesting study that validates a subjective survey for volunteering with non-profits compared to the costs of volunteering. They spent 20 years doing the research to create this measurement with anything greater than 0 is a positive benefit to the volunteer. Some of the benefits the volunteers experienced are included here:
“expressing their values, learning new skills, receiving gratitude, being productive and creative, performing worth-while activities, experience pride, enthusiasm and happiness doing whatever task available, feel self-efficacy, engagement and commitment, enrich their personal identity and their social network, hope to make a better world or improve their CV..”
(CV stands for Curriculum Vitae which is a fancy word for resume for those that have worked at University Level)
What scientific or empirical evidence have you found to support volunteering for our own well-being? Share it on your Instagram and tag us @TheRealMoveHappy for a chance to be featured on the Official Move Happy®️ Instagram Page
I know for me personally, I’ve never regretted volunteering as I always gain knowledge, compassion, joy or all 3 simultaneously 
. One of my favorite ways to volunteer is with my lil sis from Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Even though I’m across the country, we stay connected via phone calls and I’m working to help get her a college visit to Notre Dame from my connections 😊.
#3 Volunteering Strategy: What is the global impact of volunteering internally or external glee?
There was a study released October 2020 regarding volunteering in the US and Canada from 18 year olds to 91 year olds. The results include:
“Older age predicted more frequent formal volunteering, as well as more support provision and support receipt due to COVID-19. In particular, middle-aged and older adults provided more emotional support than younger adults, middle-aged adults provided the most tangible support, and older adults received the most emotional support. All three types of prosocial activities were associated with higher positive affect and greater social satisfaction on days when they occurred. Providing COVID-19-related support further predicted lower same-day negative affect. Age did not significantly moderate these associations.”
Keep in mind a positive affect is the leaning towards being in a good mood. No matter what kind of volunteering one performed nor their age, their mood was positively impacted by volunteering both in the USA and Canada during the Global Pandemic.
I’d love to hear from around the world positive experiences around volunteering. Please snap your pics to us @TheMoveHappy to be featured on the official Snap Chat Channel for Move Happy®️ Include your flag emoji for your country too so we know where you’re seeing this from! The most unique ones will be shared on all my social media accounts 🙌
#4 Volunteering Strategy: What are some simple ways to volunteer to make you feel gleeful?
I am blessed in that I had a LOT of family and family friends volunteer when I was younger. They role modeled to me positive behavior in volunteering so I felt it was what all people do. I didn’t realize that its a rare thing to volunteer so I might be sharing new things with you to try or perhaps you’re a regular volunteer and you can add your own ideas too.
Some of my favorite ways to volunteer are through the gifts and talents I have. I love singing and have spent many years studying to be a professional paid musician so when I can I volunteer at churches, weddings, funerals etc. When I worked at the Psych Hospital where Move Happy
was birthed, I was invited to sing for some politicians from my super fan Kara. She is a Judge in WA State and is a huge supporter of me. 
#Grateful
Kara connected me to a paid gig and my colleagues and I were connected on Facebook and showed my supervisor Sue my video I shared at the gig while I was away 😂. I had taken a day off of work for the gig with permission to get some money and have a fun time with new people.
The next day my boss told me they have a pianist that volunteers from the community every Christmas to play carols for the patients. She asked if I would be willing to sing with the pianist. I said HECK YES! I got to volunteer during my work day doing something I love #amazing Not only was it enjoyable for the patients, it was fun for me because it releases endorphins when you perform and do musical things.
That YES turned into other opportunities to volunteer 1:1 with a patient that needed some extra support but staff were stretched thin with their schedules. I asked one of my mentors Dr. Hill if I could help him take some of his load off his plate and get some 1:1 therapy experience? I had gotten really efficient with my regular job responsibilities and was ready to take it to the next level.
Dr. Hill knew I sang for the patients and had one that wasn’t ready to come down to the treatment mall yet. We’ll call him “Bill.” Bill is a professional pianist without any need for sheet music. He suffers from extreme fears and some other diagnoses. We worked on building his confidence using music and some walking therapies. That later helped me get an interview for a promotion at the hospital when I was told I would never even be interviewed without state licensure. Not only was I interviewed, I got the promotion! Volunteering can help you increase your income even if you weren’t planning on it #blessed
Move Happy®️ Updates:
The Move Happy Movement Podcast©️ is going strong. Check it out on iTunes , podbean Spotify (1st 40 or so episodes- they stopped converting and don’t have the most current episodes sawwy), and someone added it to Listen Notes #NotMe 😂. We are going strong thanks to YOU! No ads, no bots creating fake downloads. You are spreading the word! I hope to help at least 1 person a day with the guests I bring or when I talk about important leadership topics by myself. Thank you for helping spread the mission of empowering depressed people globally to find their own happiness through mindset, community and fitness!
Once we hit 10,000 downloads I’ll be hosting a Private VIP Concert For Those Consistently Sharing Move Happy®️Content and writing reviews on iTunes! 💃 Check out where our downloads are at now ⬇️⬇️⬇️
#5 Volunteering Strategy: How can Move Happy help empower you to volunteer?
I am really proud of a 16-week program I designed during my off-work hours (volunteered) for the most sensitive population in the world. Patients were living at least 180 days (6 months) and some up to 30 years in our particular hall. They were kind to me and volunteered to draw me pictures, give me fist bumps, check in on me, and prayed for me when my dad passed away my 1st week on the job.
I wanted to give them back something in return because it was the right thing to do. So I started observing what group therapy offerings were available for the patients, and how I could add value. I did my own Literature Review (which is essentially checking what empirical research has already been conducted/created to make sure that my program was novel and not copying anyone else’s work).
I went to work designing from the ground up with no budget a cross-curricular positive psychology/fitness program for my patients. I designed a Move Happy Participant Journal
with weekly topics to help empower my patients to elicit joy and happiness from within through the power of introspection and group think. I know the journal alone made a difference because patients started talking to other patients during their break times.
We had maxed capacity, had to move to a larger room by the 2nd round and still had requests for something from the group. So we had the printing department make a few extra copies and passed out what was available to those that were on the waitlist. Talk about feeling gleeful! I spent 6.5 years studying in college and worked my tail off to be the best PE Teacher then later Exercise and Sport Psychology Professional and FINALLY was able to use my education to a group of patients that wanted to improve their mood and fitness (or at least were kind enough to pretend 😂)!
I have copyrighted the material and have since enhanced the workout portion in a completed done for your purchasable program (available in my shop). Because I believe SO strongly in volunteering, and hope to be an advocate for change globally, I am also giving away a digital copy of the Journal for free. All you need to do is include your email here and you’ll gain access to it.
Please download 1 copy for free and/or purchase 1 copy to print/email because I am a low income entrepreneur that has put now 6 years into building my brand (blood-sweat-and-tears). If after downloading you don’t want to stay connected to other Move Happy news and updates simply unsubscribe. However if you are a parent or planning to be a parent, I will be adding more family content soon since I also have a background in K-12 teaching.
With Covid many schools are remote so I want to help support with that also. Once you gain access to the journal please share a testimony on social media how its adding value to your audience to keep spreading good news. Who knows? Maybe we can get some more people to start volunteering for their own well being sake . As a reward for sharing testimonies, I’ll share the best of the best ones on all my social media and include them in future blogs giving you credit! Just please keep personal info of minors private.
So there you have it folks! Volunteering can drastically improve your mood, improve your social circle and expand your bank account! I hope that you learned a little something and feel inspired to take action to improve your community. If I did add any value to you, it would mean the world to me if you would share this blog with someone you care about and share it on social media.
PS: Don’t forget to tell someone you love them today
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