I used to volunteer a lot

but now I am more selfish with my time because I need to start planning for retirement and focus solely on that. However, I still volunteer my time for my loved ones--but not as readily as in the past.

However, volunteer work can be really good for you if you're at a time in your life that you can afford it. I love all my volunteer experiences and they taught me so much. Much of what I learned I am using now to shore up my career and plan for an early retirement.

Also, it was energizing to give to people. The smiles on their faces and the progress they made will forever make me believe in volunteerism.