What is your WHY?
I was an insecure kid. Afraid to speak up in class, never sure of myself. I had a lot of quiet dread happening behind the scenes. Then when I was in college I learned about a program for elementary school girls called Girls on the Run. It was created for the little girl just like me and helped boost confidence and self-worth in grades 3-5. I remember wishing it had been around when I was a kid. As a result I became very involved with Girls on the Run, and I still am! This is my WHY. This is why I donate so much time, love, money, energy, etc into this program.
7 Cups is an incredible place full of incredible people willing to spend their time, money, energy, etc. We want to always have the mission of 7 Cups in the forefront of our minds as we are making decisions in the community. Those of us who choose to volunteer at 7 Cups, what is our WHY?
Please think about this and post below your WHY for being a part of our 7 Cups volunteer family.
@Jill7cups I've met so SO many amazing people here, your all my 7 Cups fam and I love y'all so SO much... well, really just I wanted to spread love, and helping others became.. almost addicting, satisfying.. the only way I can describe it would certainly be the warm fuzzies 
I was going through Alot, I still am.. but 7 Cups because a coping skill, a way to stay busy.. a distraction even.. I'm so so glad I found this site, and from the way its set up and run, to all the positions and badges for listeners, I see 7 cups being a part of my life for years to come! I know every listener has their own story, their own reasons why.. but we've all been through SO so much and can empathize so strongly with one another. Were all just loving people wanting to help eachother in the end, and for me.. that was life saving. *huggles*
@MissMeghan I love your response so much Meghan ❤️ Thank you for being a part of my 7 Cups journey and for being such an amazing person, *huggles* !!
@peppermintlove Aww, thank you SO much, im so glad I met youuuu :3 Keep up all the good work!
@MissMeghan we are so lucky to have someone like you!!! :hugs jf you're ok with them:
@Jill7cups Ahh I love this thread! Looking forward to seeing other people's responses too :)
When I first joined 7 Cups 2 years ago, I could have never imagined how much it could mean to me now! My whole 7 Cups journey so far has been honestly amazing, I'm so so so thankful for all of the lovely people that have been involved in my experience and the incredible people that work so hard to keep 7 Cups going. I volunteer on 7 Cups because it's something I really love to do: being able to help people is so rewarding and being a mentor and guiding listeners so they can be the best that they can be is truly something I cherish and value a lot. When I started off as a listener, I wanted to do the most and support this community as much as I could and I'm so happy that I'm in the position that I am today - without 7 Cups in my life I'd be missing out on a lot. It's definitely changed the person I am today and I'm so proud of our wonderful community. I've been able to realise my own self worth and the importance of self-care and I'm glad that it's something we prioritise so I feel comfortable taking time for myself. We've all come so far! Ahh I love you all so much and every single person on here inspires me :') hugsssss ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
@peppermintlove thank you thank you thank you. Knowing I have other people coming in every day to do good keeps me coming too!
I love this conversation starter! I think for me, 7 Cups has served as a "why" for many things in my future, rather than a "why" leading up to 7 Cups. Unfortunately, the reason as to why I joined 7 Cups isn't very interesting; I was just a typical kid about to start high school. I felt pretty lonely, and I just wanted to have someone to talk to about anything since my best friend at the time had moved away. Although I'm still a typical kid (Instead of about to start high school, however, I'm about to graduate!), I've become very involved with the mental health community since I've joined! Not only on 7 Cups but also in person. I think one of my "peaks" so far in the mental health community is getting to do a summer internship with my state's Mental Health America chapter! It was a lot of work, but I wouldn't hesitate to apply for it again next summer. I'm also considering studying something in college that would help me get to the therapy field since I'm starting to love the mental health community, and having a future career in it would honestly make me so happy!
(PS - Girls on the Run is awesome! I signed up to help with a race on December 1 for some school service hour credits. I'm so excited!)
@Emily619 one bit of volunteering usually leads to more and more! Thank you!n
@Jill7cups
I have a need to help people, and I'm not doing this effectively in my job. I also need the support network that 7cups provides. I'm happy to bear the torch each morning, and I feel better showing people the strength and beauty within themselves.
@Darkseed helping others see the beauty in themselves helps us see our own!
I think that this is a wonderful thread and I'd like to participate in it. c: It starts a discussion that is sometimes forgotten while we all help out here. We need to remember our why in order to keep giving the best kind of support.
I came to 7Cups searching for my own kind of support. My boyfriend at the time was very busy with school and he couldn't always be there to assist me when I had depression or anxiety breakdowns. 7Cups was a place for me to put myself out there. All of the 1-1 chats that I had as a member on 7Cups never gave me support. A lot of the time they left me feeling worse. I found that the forums and group chatrooms were the place I got the most support.
After I took some time to make sure I was stable, I made a listener account so that I could try to decrease the number of bad or unhelpful chats that people had. I want individuals to feel supportive. I've always been a huge advocate for mental health and finding 7Cups was just another step to strengthen that part of me. I use my own experiences to help other people, and so far I've had good feedback. I always remind myself that I'm here for the other person. Everyone deserves to be truly okay with themselves and the progress of their life. I don't want anyone to have to go through what I had and still have to handle, so I do my best to help where I can.
Love you all. <3
@Emmur every single why is valid! Thank you for making sure everything has the chance to a helpful,non judgemental chat
I love connecting with members!
@enlightenedTree32 perfect reason why! Keep it up!
@Jill7cups I'm a runner on injury hiatus...so girls on the run is so close to my heart! Thank you for everything you do here!
Now it's my turn. I've been through the ringer (if you check my bio I only help with things I've been through) and I was running a sobriety IG page for a group I was in. They touted charity and sisterhood. Turned out to be none of that. So I was looking for something to fill my time for when I left. And came upon this. My why is to make sure everyone feels listened to andd validated. To hopefully let people know there is always someone to listen and someone who cares. If I can help one person with the crud I went through in my life it's all worth it. Every single bad thing,just to help one person...
I was a pretty insecure kid as well. Pretty much the only way I could get out of my shell was to rant about something I liked! I joined 7 cups because I had been reading some ethically challenging books lately, and I realized I needed to do more to help others. I searched around, and I found this amazing, outstanding, magnificent community. I come back every day for the forum posts; the deep thinkers; the amazing people I meet, both listeners and members. I come back because I truly feel I'm making a difference here. I truly hope I'm making a difference here. I think together, we all are! So to everyone, hugs! Thank you for making 7 cups feel like a second home to me <3
@Jill7cups
I was a misunderstood young lady (Still am...i think). I am also a victim of bullying and abuse. I joined 7Cups to help others like me and to meet new people from all over the world.
I feel I have more friends here than anywhere else