When we became Lions, we embarked on a journey together. We all started down a path of service, sharing kindness, bringing hope to our communities, changing the lives of the people we serve and changing our own along the way.
But in many respects, the service itself is a journey. It isn’t something that comes together in a single day, and it doesn’t end when the event is over. It’s a cycle of learning and doing and celebrating, so that we can continue evolving our work and expanding our capacity to serve.
We learn of a problem—perhaps it’s an epidemic of diabetes in our hometown or a local population in need of medical care—and we begin to think of ways in which our club might help. We do some research, we reach out to people who know about the issue, and we learn more about the needs and obstacles in our path. This is the learning and discovering that comes before the doing. And this makes the service we do that much better, because it’s more informed, and more prepared, and ultimately more effective.
Reporting what we do and sharing our stories is also a key component to keeping the movement going. It is one thing to perform a good deed. It’s another to perform a good deed and share the story of your service with others who may champion your cause or even join you in service—all because they were inspired by your story.
Remember, we’re all on this journey together. We are all heading towards one goal—a better world—yet we are all taking different paths to get there. And the process of getting there is just as important as the destination. What is your path?
Gudrun Yngvadottir is the International President of Lions Clubs International.
This story was originally published in the January 2019 edition of LION Magazine.
