The Beginning and The End

“Begin with the end in mind.” It’s one of the principles in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” book by Dr. Stephen Covey. It makes sense and it’s a straightforward idea. Decide what you want the outcome to be and then do everything in your power to make it happen.

Well, it’s January 2009 and I’ve been at this job search for almost a year. The ideal end for my job hunt would be me landing a challenging and fulfilling job that puts my skills to the test and rewards me with a paycheck and benefits. But, this job search isn’t like the searches I’ve conducted in years past. Things are different in these tough economic times and while I know that I will someday be back in the workforce, I know that the timeframe isn’t 100% up to me.

With the start of the new year, it is time for some changes. As a goal-driven and deadline-oriented individual, I need something else to fulfill me and reward me, something else that I can take on and accomplish this year no matter what the headlines say about our economy or the job market.

The Real End

So, I’ve taken a step back and I’ve given “the end” some more thought. The real end. The one that comes when my life is over and someone, somewhere is in charge of summarizing my life in a few short paragraphs. My job search of 2008-2009 will not be in there, but what will make the cut?

I occasionally glance at obituaries in the newspaper and the line that sticks with me is an individual’s lifelong commitment to a charitable organization. 15, 20, 30 years. Wow. No matter what that person had going on in his or her life or what unexpected turns he or she took, the commitment to that charity was always there.

It’s that line in my obituary that I will tackle in 2009 – the line that will read, “For 30 years, Kelly was involved with XYZ organization, giving her time, her skills and her financial support.”

The Plan

Each month this year, I will volunteer with one charitable organization. I will blog about my service, reflecting on what I was able to give, what kind of impact I think I could make and what I took away from the experience. In December, I will choose one organization to be my life-long volunteer cause. Between 2010 and 2040 (God willing I live that long), I will offer my time, my skills and my financial support to that organization’s mission.

Do you have a life-long commitment to a non-profit organization? If so, drop me a line at kduffort@gmail.com and let me know why you chose that group. I’d love to hear your story as I begin my 2009 journey.

-Kelly