• How do you build confidence?
• How do you meet and get to know people who share your interests?
• How do you get to schmooze with folks you wouldn't otherwise meet, including celebrities?
• When your spirits are lower than a bullfrog's belly in a well, what will lift you up?
• What one simple step will give you a purpose, a reason to be on the planet?

What miracle could do all this? For free?

Volunteer. 

Pick a charity or cause close to your heart. That way, if you meet someone special, you'll already have something in common. If you're musical, go with the symphony or programs for children. If you're outdoorsy, pick the Sierra Club or an environmental organization. Love animals? Try animal rescue programs. Are you already a member of an organization that could use more of your help?

Would you like to meet celebrities?
But you can't afford the big fund-raisers they attend? Again, volunteer. Celebrities get involved in local organizations, and you could find yourself working side by side to put on a golf tournament or pet walk.

I love to assist at the Hawaii Writers Conference where I introduce speakers, help organize book signings, and get to talk with authors and their families.

Two excellent tips to build confidence
Register people at the door. This is a great job because you get to put faces with names and have a brief connection. When registration's over and you're free to mingle, you can beeline toward that intriguing person you checked in.

If being on the front lines scares you, then go backstage. While stuffing envelopes and trading stories, you get to know people in the organization. When I stuffed folders for Pen Women, I shifted from feeling like a guest to feeling like a full-fledged member.

Feeling depressed?
Volunteering gives you a purpose, a reason to be there. Instead of walking in the door and not knowing a cotton-pickin' soul, you belong. You feel useful and needed. When you help somebody else or a cause greater than yourself, you feel better about yourself. It will do you as much good as a roomful of therapists' couches. That's a promise.

As one of my friends said, "Volunteering rocks!"

And now I'd like to invite you to download good conversation questions you can use right away. Get "15 Fun, Free, and Original Ice Breakers & Conversation Questions for Parties, Dates, and Hanging Out With Friends." Go to http://www.queenofconversation.com/15-Sure-Fire-Conversation-Starters.html

©Tracey E. Bennett, The Queen of Conversation

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