I dislike volunteering. It is not the idea of volunteering that I don’t like, it is the fact that when I am asked to volunteer, it seems I am being asked out of a sense of desperation. Most of the time I am asked to volunteer, it is as if the person who is asking me to volunteer my time  and services expects me to say “No,” because they have been told, “No,” by others they have sought out as potential volunteers.

Right now I am retail salesman by trade. Do you think I would sell anything if I always expected my customer to say, “No” when I ask them to buy something. Let me fill you in, if I expected everyone to say, “No” I would sell very little. I ask at least two dozen people a day to purchase jewelry from me . On an average day only six or seven people might say yes and buy something. On a good day, ten people might say yes and buy something. On a GREAT day twelve of those twenty four customers might say “Yes,” and buy something.

Think about it… On my best day 50% of the people I ask to purchase something are going to tell me, “No.”  Do I expect anyone to tell me, “No?”  ABSOLUTELY NOT! I expect everyone I talk to to buy something from me. I realize that is unrealistic, but I approach every customer with the confidence they are going to say, “Yes.”

SO…  What does this have to do with volunteering?

More tomorrow…