Paying Back or Paying Forward—Service is Good for You!

Many of us serve society by volunteering for a variety of causes. If you take the time to serve others, do you ever reflect on why? Is it simply to support the process of gathering “trophies” for your CV mantle, a tangible component of professional advancement? Or are you driven by a service philosophy, where leadership, mentoring, and helping others are core values? It’s likely you fall somewhere in between where a combination of personal goals, motives, and available resources regulate why you help others and how much time you devote to it. I pose this question since hard work and dedication have allowed us all to collectively “arrive” as intellectuals, residents of various towers—ivory and otherwise—and informed citizens. This status, like it or not, comes with responsibility to give back by sharing knowledge, skills, and time (the most precious commodity).