The Starting Point
W
e often hear the proverb that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (by Lao Tzu).” Be it in
our personal or professional life, a good starting point always matters. In our involvement with any group, a clear goal is important for us to reach whatever we want to achieve. We need to check on ourselves, our motives included. It would help us when the going gets rough. Goals and intentions are good starting points. Being involved in many organizations have made me realize that we get something from our experiences. When we volunteer for a certain cause, it is incomplete to say that we only give ourselves without getting something in return. Honestly, the fact that we have served an organization for years tells us that we derive something from it: opportunities that have added to our personal and professional growth. We are after all called to become “men and women for others!” Man is a relational being. “No man is an island.” We are all called to live in communities with whatever status we are in. We grow into our full selves as persons only in relating with others. Life, after all is a shared experience. Another important reminder for those who want to serve and, in the process, become happy is that good intentions are not enough. We need to have values. The fact that we are dealing with people most of the time makes it inevitable to turn our 2
