I Just Graduated, Is It Too Soon to Give Back?

Even though I spent the last 7 years studying to provide healthcare to others, I found myself feeling like I had been selfish over the years. Everything I had been doing was focused on me; my education, my development, and my growth. The world I knew became smaller and smaller compared to the world I used to live in.

Finding time in my schedule for volunteering, mentoring, women's rights, and humanitarianism became more and more difficult the further I advanced in my academic career. What I’ve come to realize is it that it's not impossible to marry your passion and your immediate responsibilities, it simply takes a deliberate effort.
You're always available for your calling. Most importantly, focusing only on what's in front of you can keep you from seeing the world, that is all around you.
Charlotte Mack


During my graduate education, I started making a genuine effort to carve time out of my schedule to give back. I started a blog about women's empowerment with a focus on domestic abuse, human trafficking, and women's rights. I tried to post at least once or twice a month. It was difficult to schedule, I thought no one cared about my research (and I really put hours into each post) and my graduate projects still required my attention, but I persisted. I began to develop a "flow," and amazing things started to happen. I connected with my audience. Real people with real stories shared their experiences in a therapeutic, cathartic forum. It only took one person to be impacted by something I was passionate about to validate the time I set aside to pursue my passion.

I do not believe there is a perfect time to do what you're passionate about. I also do not believe there is an ideal age to do what you're passionate about. When your purpose calls you, walk up to the fountain of the universe and take a sip. If you don't respond to this call, you will feel internally conflicted. It's no different than depriving yourself of water when your body is telling you you're thirsty.

Everyone has a purpose in life. Your purpose pulls at your gut every time you're confronted with it. When you persist in what you are passionate about, I can tell you what will happen next. Slowly your endless sea of scheduling conflicts will part, and a path to your purpose will present itself. That's what happened to me, not on a vast scale but a powerful one nonetheless.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ― Winston Churchhill

If you feel your purpose is calling you, but the timing isn't "perfect," just know the timing will likely never be perfect, but you are the perfect person to execute your vision today. It's never too early to give back.