Living our lives in a bubble

Most of us live our lives inside of a bubble. We construct simple, comfortable, and enjoyable lives with decent jobs, good friends, and a few hobbies to keep us busy. If we`re lucky we may even create a small family or passion project to give our lives a greater purpose and meaning.

At times we may face some turbulence, but all things considered, the most difficult struggles we face usually come down to a clash of emotions, the odd heartache, or a small yet humbling personal defeat.

We find it difficult to look at the problems of the world or see the struggles of others. We feel guilty thinking about those that are less fortunate while we sit back and enjoy the finer things in life.

And so, we simply choose not to look.

We tell ourselves that the world’s problems are not our own and we justify our reclusion by telling ourselves that we really couldn’t make a difference even if we tried.

And so, we don’t bother trying.

We move forward and lead our lives, hoping that the world and its problems don’t affect us and our perfectly crafted bubbles.

I look at this and I can’t help but feel sad at the culture we have created, so I`ve decided this is something I can no longer justify.

Burst your bubble

I believe there can be a better balance to how we live our lives. Not one that forces us to give up the luxuries we`ve worked so hard to obtain but one that simply asks that we accept a greater responsibility to those that could use our help.

Imagine if everyone took just a couple of hours to donate their time, skills, or resources to a worthy cause in their community. How much better would the world be?

With just a couple of hours, you could help a homeless person get a hot meal, give an elderly person an afternoon of fun, or make sure someone with an illness lives to see another day.

I believe that if we can expand our tightly guarded bubbles for even a couple of hours that it would be enough to let someone in. And that could make a pretty massive impact on someone’s life who needs it most.

A challenge with purpose

This month I’ve committed myself to volunteering at 12 different charities and non-profits over the holiday season (stay tuned for the full list) (http://www.scalemylife.com/).

My goal is to not just donate some of my time but to really try and connect with the work they are doing and the needs of the individuals that are being cared for. I really believe that by making this effort I will discover a deeper connection to that other side of the world that we so often ignore.

To help me with my challenge I have partnered with an amazing local organisation called Volinspire.

They have built an incredible social platform to help connect charities and non-profits with individuals and businesses that are looking to volunteer and give back. They can track hours, highlight great social projects, and even share stories of really amazing volunteers (hopefully like us!).

Get in the game!

I have a challenge for you: Join me on this Charity Challenge and let’s make this month about more than ourselves and the things we are buying for the holidays.

Jump on Volinspire, create an account and tag Scale My Life in your own positive and purposeful stories.

You may not be able to contribute to all 12 events in my Charity Challenge but if you can pick even 1 project that gets you excited and that you take even a couple of hours to get yourself involved with, then maybe together we can all break free from our bubbles and find a more meaningful and charitable life.