“Challenge Accepted.”
For all of the How I Met Your Mother fans that are out there with me, you know this iconic phrase as stated by Barney Stinson. Now, Barney may not be the best role model as far as lifestyles go, but this common tagline of his has so much meaning to someone such as myself. When I hear the words “challenge accepted”, one word comes to mind: service.
What is service, exactly? The dictionary definition will tell you that service is “the act of helping or doing work for someone.” Simply put, when we dedicate ourselves to completing a service, we are doing something to make a difference. A service may be mowing a lawn, taking an elderly person to the grocery store, or simply making someone’s lunch. But sometimes the service we do have such a greater impact on those we are serving.
I have been a part of various service organizations in the past, but one that I am really dedicated to is Feed My Starving Children. Feed My Starving Children is a volunteer organization that strives to feed children in starving nations. To date, FMSC has shipped packed meals to 70 countries throughout the world. Thousands of volunteers nationwide pack these meals every single day. Because FMSC volunteers “accept the challenge”, children worldwide are able to go to bed not feeling the pangs of starvation.
Service is actually what made Steve and I friends in the first place. Steve and I were both FFA members who attended the Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) in 2010. One of my favorite things about WLC is the commitment to service. I still remember the 200 students attending the conference chanting the theme, “We Must Because We Can”, as we went out into communities surrounding the Washington, D.C. area to complete service projects in small groups. The group I was a part of weeded kale feels of an organic farm that provided vegetables to low-income families in Washington, D.C. Our job was tedious, that I will admit, but along with the calluses on our hands, sweat on our brows, and aches in our backs, we also ensured those without sufficient incomes could feed their families. Because we “accepted the challenge”, we impacted a community.
Service does not need to be something where we change people’s lives on a large scale. Service begins with the opening of a door for a friend, helping someone up who has fallen, and going the extra mile to make sure someone gets a chance to smile throughout their day. Accepting to help others in even the littlest of challenges makes the greatest of differences.
Currently, I am serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) in my home community in Wisconsin. As a part of my term of service, I am working with other AmeriCorps in my community doing youth programs and activities. One such activity is “10 Days to Change the World”, and I would like to challenge you all to participate in your own communities. I challenge you, for the next ten days, to complete random acts of kindness during a 10 day period...what could your impact be? Who could you serve? What challenges can you accept?
Service is many things, and many times, it is a challenge. Service is not to benefit one’s self, but rather to benefit the life of another, even in the smallest of ways. Will you commit yourself to the service of others?
As for myself, let’s just say:
As for myself, let’s just say:
“Challenge accepted.”
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