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Confused on Where to Help Others? Here Are Three Tips

As Laura Hale says, helping others “is a relay race. […] Focus on your part of the race.”

As Laura Hale says, helping others “is a relay race. […] Focus on your part of the race.”


The desire to get involved and help others with their problems is a noble one. As we covered in Episodes 61 and 62 of the podcast, it can be difficult to know where to start. There are hundreds of social issues out there, and who has the time or the energy to tackle them all?

Laura Hale, who shared her wisdom with us in Episode 62, recently wrote more guidance on picking a lane as a helper. As Laura says, it’s about limiting yourself to some pet causes, taking inventory of your skills, and tapping into your preexisting network. I’ve added some emphasis to her excellent advice below, reposted with her permission.


“I’ve had some version of the same conversation with a lot of friends over the last few weeks. It involves feelings of rage and desperation and the overwhelming impulse to do something right now. That rage and that impulse are so relatable. I do, though, want to share some advice as someone who has been doing community work for a long time and has done myself a lot of harm. This is not a sprint, nor is it a marathon. This is a relay race. We are all partners in this. I promise you that this is generational work that has been going on long before this moment and will continue long after, and you will not and should not be the lone savior of any cause. Focus on your part of the race.

There are three points I like to use to narrow my path forward when I don’t know what to do and hopefully some of you find this useful.

  • First, find what you are most passionate about. You can’t work on everything, so pick the thing that lights your fire. That will help keep you going when you get frustrated.
  • Second, think about the skills you have that are the easiest for you to use. Learning new things is great, but starting off doing the least stressful things you can is more sustainable in the long run. If you hate making phone calls, don’t volunteer to phone bank. You don’t have to do that to yourself. There is a place for what you do well.
  • Third, know your sphere of influence. Most of us have little influence on the national level but we can do incredible work in our local and state communities. Being effective is better than just being busy.

One other piece of advice – if you find yourself in dark places and can no longer feel joy or hope, step back. Take. A. Break. The work will keep going while you rest (that’s the relay part of the race) and sacrificing your physical and mental health is not going to save anyone else. Especially when you are part of marginalized group and are directly affected by whatever you’re working against, you need to pay attention to the signs of burn out. If the people who care about you tell you they’re worried about you, listen to them.

There is hope, friends. There is amazing work happening at all places in this nation of ours. You do not have to do it all. We’re in this together.”


If you’d like to learn more from Laura, the Founder and President of the ONE Good Deed Fund in Burlington, Vermont, check out Episode 62 of The Plural of You’s podcast.