Want to know how volunteering can impact you? Here's some advice from the book "Be the Change! Change the World. Change Yourself." (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $14.95), straight from people who've done it:

“When my energy is low, I keep myself motivated by using a little guilt on myself. If I’m tired on a Saturday morning and feel like sleeping in, I think of the child I will disappoint — the one who’s counting on me to come and help him with his reading. If I sleep in, I’ll be letting down a child. I just can’t do that, so I get up.”

“Count up every little thing. It recharges you to keep going. I remember once thinking I wasn’t doing very much, and that those few hours out of my Saturday couldn’t have meant anything significant to anyone. Then, after I had continued volunteering for a few months, I added up all the meals I had served and all the kids I had played with and all the rooms I had painted. I realized I had made a visible difference, one hour at a time, and I had fun in the process!”

— Wendy Sheridan, Tampa, Fla.

“I keep my enthusiasm and energy high by mixing up my volunteer activities. The sheer variety of volunteer opportunities out there is enough to keep anyone engaged. For example, I rotate between working with AIDS patients, to seniors, to homeless people, to Special Olympics, and then I tutor kids at shelters.”

“I look at keeping discouragement at bay the same way a long-distance runner would. If you’re trying to climb a big hill, it’s not going to help you to stare at the top of the hill. Better to look down and focus on your feet and the next steps you will take. Focus on the road directly in front of you.”

“You can’t give up, no matter what. In 1991, during a big Jimmy Carter Habitat event in Miami, I was hit by a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting. It grazed my scalp and knocked my hat off. Right then, I realized that serving underprivileged areas could be very dangerous. And it was also then I realized that I couldn’t let anything stop me from serving, not even a bullet. Boy, was everyone surprised when I returned to the job site the next day, head bandage and all. Some people who had intended to leave after the shooting decided to stay. Sometimes just showing up can make a statement.”

“Taking a bit of time off can really refocus you. I coach girls’ soccer, and toward the end of each soccer season, I am so exhausted. Hundreds of practices, games, phone trees, and parties; I just can’t wait for it to be over. I think about how nice it will be to have so much time to myself. I often wonder if I should take a couple of years off, but then after a few months without it, I can’t wait to get back onto the soccer field with my girls.”

— Trinette Marquis, Sacramento, Calif.

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.