Tori Smith

I can easily say that my call to service is very much driven by my faith and my personal fulfillment recieved from doing service. I can relate serving others and showing generosity to others to how oxygen is necessary for human life. For me, serving others comes without question. I don't see how God put me on this Earth for any other reason than to spread my light with all my brothers and sisters.  My Catholic faith is a huge part of who I am. I feel that I am called to serve God. We are called to love one another. When I see the smiles of those people I am serving, when I feel the generosity of those helping others, when I hear the joy of another, when I touch another's heart, I see the face of God. When I serve, I offer that service up in light of something bigger than me. My life of service is driven by the desire to know, love and serve God with the faith, hope, and love of Christ.

 

I like to see the world simply. The most important things in life are not what shoes you wear, who has the most money, or any of that. The richest things in life are those intangible feelings. Service is what grants me those intangible feelings of hearts touching hearts. Someone who does not have the necessities that all human life ought to have to live comfortably deserves to be given a chance to make their way in the world, just as any other human being does. With my service I really hope to go big and make this difference. I am so grateful for what I am lucky to have here on this Earth. Since others are not as lucky as me, I want to use what I have (my education, intelligence, voice) to serve those that are less fortunate than I am. I thank God everyday for how fortunate I am, and I pray that I may never lose sight of this. In my service I pray for the courage to give of myself, to learn, and listen. I hope I am able to serve without boundaries and love unconditionally for all the days of my life, spending my light for all to see. Who knows, through service I could even start a chain reaction.

 

A candle loses nothing, by lighting another flame.  

 

A classic philosopher from ancient Greece, Socrates, preached of the importance

to “know thyself.” I believe that knowing who you are, in combination with both

your individual strengths and weaknesses is key to any success in life. To know

what strengths you bring to the table assists in finding your passions and your

calling. As a freshman in college, the question of identity is present on everyone's

minds as they are just making their way in the world. Every students is striving to

discover their passions and make their own individual dreams become realities

with help from the major of their choice. My passion for my life is driven by

serving others and seeing someone smile because of me. I find this to be the most

exhilarating feeling, knowing that I benefitted someone's life by some intense

huge or random little act of kindness I did. I like to think that I do know my

strengths, but I am still always trying to get to know myself better and discover

my place in this great big world. As I get to know my strengths better then I will in turn better realize my calling to service and what role I am play.

 

My strengths that I present to the world consist of staying positive, showing kindness, bringing out the talents in others for all to see, and generosity. I am a naturally positive person, but I also try to always see the brightside in situations even when it may be difficult. I hope to spread my enthusiasm around to other people to see.  Finding joy in the little things in life, I believe, is a good way to live. With my strength of kindness I hope to also start the chain reaction of paying it forward and passing it on. When I notice little random acts of kindness my heart gets excited. I never want pass up an opportunity to step in and help out someone who is struggling. I would also consider myself a developer and maximizer of sorts. By this I mean I can recognize and then cultivate the potential in others to make them the best they can be. This is similar to a playmaker or a sports recruit. I realize that all different people have all different talents and when each person cultivates and shares their individual talents a beautiful harmony in the world becomes real.

My final strength of generosity has a special meaning to me. One of my many life mottos is simply “show generosity”. Yes, generosity is selflessly giving to others. I do always aspire to be generous in that aspect; yet, to me, generosity is something more than that. Generosity is not just giving to others, it is giving one hundred percent of all you have, all the time. Being generous means giving of yourself, going beyond just the requirement. I am still learning to be generous in every aspect of my life. Whether this be in academics, athletics, relationships, service, or simple chores, showing generosity is not a waste of time. There is no cause to small nor too great that cannot be changed by one generous person.

 

I strive to share my strengths with all. I do not just want to share my strengths with this paper, but by example. I do not want to go to sleep after a day knowing I did not give my all that day. I want to go to sleep after a day knowing that I showed generosity, knowing that I gave one hundred percent of myself. Sharing my strengths of positivity, kindness, recognizing and developing potential, and generosity I hope to pursue my passion to the best of my ability. If I give all of myself; well, then there is nothing more anyone could ask for. I just want that in the future as I bring my strengths to the great table of life, I am able to leave a lasting impact on someone else’s heart.