In high school, I took every opportunity to volunteer. When I was 16, I spent every Sunday in the maternity wing at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. At age 19, I received a grant to assist a free legal clinic at the Northern California Innocence Project at Santa Clara University. After my second year in college, I 
co-founded a free health center in New Delhi, India. I love helping out in every way that I can because I'm committed to positive social change.
Throughout my life, I've had a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a love of the business world, and it's these same qualities that fuel my interest in public service. I've worn a lot of personal and professional hats, but my commitment to the world around me has always remained the same. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, I want to help my team and community thrive.
Nowadays, I don't do a whole lot of volunteering. To be honest, I've been busy focusing on my career and learning as much as I can about the business world. When weekends come around, I value my time off and take every opportunity to relax and recharge. Even if you're committed to public service, your time off should be a priority. If you're feeling overwhelmed, there's no reason to overwhelm yourself further. As much as you have a commitment to public service, you should also have a commitment to your own health and happiness.
Instead of spending my limited free time volunteering, I've made an effort to make responsible decisions every day. This strategy comes from one of the most important business lessons that I've learned -- that efficiency and intelligent decision-making on the smallest levels can yield amazing results.
It's okay if you don't have time to volunteer or join a public service cause. Instead, you can focus on doing good by doing something that you do or would want to do anyway. Check out these causes for a starter:
1) Do you enjoy eating at places like PF Chang's, Boston Market, and Buffalo Wild Wings? Treat your family to a well-deserved night out between September 19 and September 25. Every time you eat out at one of these participating restaurants, a portion of the proceeds will help fund programs to alleviate childhood hunger in the United States. Example programs are school breakfasts, after-school snacks and meals, community gardens in low-income neighborhoods, fresh fruits in urban stores, educational programs, food banks, food pantries, and awareness programs. Think about this cause while you enjoy your family meal. You'll value it even more.
2) Donate to a cause that you support. I don't know about you, but my home is overflowing with stuff that I absolutely don't need. And most of this stuff is pretty awesome. For a while, I was selling stuff on eBay, and I was making a fair amount of money to supplement my college budget. Now, I don't have the time or energy to create eBay listings and deal with shipping, and while I could certainly use the money, I'm just as happy knowing that my previously loved stuff is going to a good home. To see how far your donations go, you can even try Goodwill's impact calculator. Remember that Goodwill isn't your only option, and you can feel free to embrace a cause that you support.
3) Research companies, and buy from places that align with your values. I think that topics concerning labor, prices, costs, and trade are complex matters that require the expertise of an economist. As a result, I'm not going to tell you places that are good and bad to shop. In reality, commerce and economics are extremely nuanced. What you should do is learn about the companies where you shop, whether they are large international change or small mom & pop shops. If you really love something but don't support the company's decisions, you can always buy a product second-hand. Otherwise, that product will just go to waste.
Enjoy your shopping, and feel even better about it with a sense of public interest in the decisions that you make every day.
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/dlbezaire/879003299
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