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You’ve heard your teachers and parents say it countless times — “You’re going to make a difference in this world.” This line taught you to be hopeful and to dream big. You don’t have to be the next Albert Einstein or Mark Zuckerberg in order to impact the world positively. Something as simple as supporting your elderly neighbor as she goes up the stairs can make a big difference.
As Lifehack writes, there are little actions you can make everyday to create or strengthen people’s sense of community, lighten others’ burdens and give them something to smile about. If you’re not sure where to start, consider these following five tips from ENTITY.
Every man and woman in this world has a talent — something they love to do and something they are good at. How about sharing your talent with others? Huffington Post shares stories on men and women who use their talent to spread joy. Robert Egger, for instance, founded D.C. Central Kitchen, an organization that uses leftover food from local businesses. Egger’s kitchen employs the homeless and they prepare the food to feed the needy. He tells Huffington Post, “My attitude is that food isn’t just gasoline for the body; food is community.”
As Eggers demonstrates, you can “share” your talents by doing something as simple as cooking for someone else who can’t.
Volunteering helps communities worldwide because it positively impacts the well-being and health of others. Could you imagine the world without volunteers? Volunteers make sure businesses and events run smoothly, deliver critical services, help keep neighborhoods clean and safe, build and repair infrastructure around the world — the list goes on.
In fact, volunteering is beneficial for both you and your community. Not only do you change the lives of the people you help, but you also transform your own. According to Forbes, volunteering can help you develop new skills and gain experience, lower your blood pressure and risk of depression and it can fill your life with love. Love is a difficult thing to measure, but volunteering definitely “builds empathy, strengthens social bonds and makes you smile — all factors that increase the feeling of love.” Who would think that donating time to others would actually trigger your own personal growth?
If you were to keep count of your trash for one year, how long would the list be? The Environment website warns that producing waste costs a great deal of money, energy and natural resources. The website writes, “The more waste we put in the ground, the more our landfills release methane gas (a contributor to climate change), as well as leachate, a toxic sludge that can kill plants and animals and contaminate our water supplies.”
So, in order to make the world a better place, how about also focusing on the natural resources we sometimes take for granted? To help save the environment, men and women can learn to recycle, watch the portions they eat to avoid throwing out too much food and dispose of electronics properly. For more tips on how to reduce waste, visit the Rethink Recycling website.
How about putting your pack rat phase to rest? Other men and women may actually need some of the items that keep accumulating in and around your home, especially the ones that have been sitting there for years.
You can help the world through donation in a number of ways: giving away the old car parts in your backyard, giving spare change to charities, donating your blood or dropping off old clothes at organizations. According to the thrift retailer Savers, donating benefits communities, reaches developing nations abroad and keeps the planet healthy.
Admit it — your eyes are glued to your phone at a social gathering when you should be trying to mingle with those around you. According to Psychology Today, people feel more disconnected in this era of massive social media networks and instant electronic access. Psychology Today says, digital media has “deepened the void of meaningful connection.”
As humans, we need connection because our brains are hard-wired to be a social species. So, in order to make the world a better place, do your best to contribute to the basic human needs of compassion, kindness and intimacy. Pay attention to the men and women around you and take the time to build friendships.
As you can see, “making a difference” often doesn’t cost any money; it just requires you to put someone else’s needs before your own. You can make a difference in the simplest of ways — by having a meaningful conversation, volunteering your free time or even learning to recycle.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” So, start now and start small. If you wished people would be kinder to others, start by being kind yourself.
