doing well by doing good: value added

You’ve worked hard. You’ve attained a level of career success that transcends the vagaries of the economy. You deeply value your significant other and nurture your children or other family members. There is no better time to become a mentor, to volunteer your time, to become a board member or to

donate to a nonprofit organization for which you feel closely connected. Here’s how one couple has found much satisfaction giving back by working on community service projects.

The resulting fulfillment—quiet and personal—goes a long way toward mitigating the inevitable stresses of responsibility and accountability, those entrenched and ultimately positive aspects of our culture. Beyond these significant benefits, the giving of time and/or money can readily expand your sphere of contacts and influence. The resulting genuine goodwill opens doors, creates opportunities, and allows for an extra level of direct involvement with both organizations and individuals.

On the home front, the security of stable and loving relationships, in whatever form they may assume—friends, spouses, children, parents—can provide the kind of backdrop that often enables great career and financial success. ‘The harder you work, the luckier you become’ is an aphorism that can easily be applied to all aspects of life. Looking outward and shifting the focus from ourselves to those around us—becoming emotionally and tangibly generous—provide meaningful social and networking opportunities. Implementing this framework of core values and beliefs may well deliver a higher level of career attainment and satisfying personal relationships than otherwise possible.

In these myriad ways, doing well is often a natural outcome of doing good: fulfillment in fantastic forms.