When taking long trips, and especially when driving alone, I like to listen to the seemingly growing art platform that is podcasts. Often including interesting interviewees and music, I find that this intimate medium is often more thought provoking and inspirational – produced by anyone, people can be very honest without having to adhere to corporate network policies.

In the early part of this year, I listened to episode 529 of The Nerdist podcast, presented by Chris Hardwick and Jonah Ray, which featured an interview with Morgan Freeman. He spoke of how the success in his life had been due to his motto ‘do well by doing good’ and how positive actions will lead to better well-being and quality of life.

This got me thinking. Maybe I should devote more of my time to helping others.

After milling over this a while, I eventually promised myself, (and now everyone reading this), that I would proactively dedicate half a day per month on helping others for 2015, and report on my findings.

Adam showing MC Hammer the door

January’s half day was spent labouring for my friend Tom who had recently bought a run-down house and needed some man power to dig up his back garden. Along with a friend of his, we spent the morning wielding pick axes, shovelling and traipsing buckets through the house to fill up massive refuse sacks. It was hard work!

‘Saw VII: The Chairman’s Cut’

February’s half day was spent at an organised volunteer day at the rugby club replacing a floor in the kit store – more of a task that you would think. Along with other players and volunteers, we spent the day heaving old rugby/gym equipment to the changing rooms – unleashing a seemingly shared destructive nature on pieces of old wood, and eating bacon sandwiches with old chaps.

What I learned from this:

• You are not expected to give something all your time. Any time spent helping out is good.
• The feeling is not always altruistic. Doing something good for someone else makes you feel good in a selfish way, almost defeating the fundamentals of doing it at all. I compare this feeling to what Phoebe acts out in Friends when she incorrectly gains $1,000 and gives it to a homeless person. This is also known as warm glow altruism and is mentioned in Chapter 3 of one of my favourite books, Superfreakonomics. (This book also explores and summarises a lot of research completed around altruism over the last few decades and is worth a read.)
• You will see people in a different light. A side to someone is often exposed when undertaking a manual task or project that you might not otherwise see. It’s interesting to see people in new situations and you can also learn a lot from others’ approaches.
• Volunteering is infectious. In actual fact, the greatest thing about this is when you successfully encourage a mate to come too. Since helping Tom, 3 other friends have called in to lend a hand. Brilliant!

Lastly, cheesy as it sounds, you may start to get murmuring feelings of fulfilment. In other words, you may start to do well by doing good.

Caps worn at jaunty angles are alleged to give sufficient protection

The rest of the year is set to contain charity long distance running and cycling, along with homeless sleeping, dog walking (humph) and rugby coaching.

I went back to Rosita in February and asked about her thoughts about making this blog more focused on helping others. We agreed that as soon as we had enough articles about it, it would deserve its own section!