Doing Good: 4 Ways to Make a Difference

We live in a neoliberal age, one that tells us that our main priority should always be to ourselves. However, that kind of thinking is at odds with the experience of the majority of humans who have ever lived. While it’s important to focus on the self to an extent, remembering that we’re all on the same team and that others need our help, is also important.

If everyone made a conscious effort to do good, then the world would be in much better shape. In this post, we’re going to run through a handful of ways that you can do good. 

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Inform Yourself

It’s a complicated world out there. Sometimes, you’ll read about far-flung issues and be glad that you live in a comparatively safe place where you don’t have to contend with such problems. In other instances, these issues may not be far-flung at all — they may happen in your city, it’s just that they don’t directly affect you. Perhaps the most important step towards making a difference is educating yourself on issues even if they’re not your battles. The internet isn’t perfect, but it’s an incredible resource for reading about the plights and struggles of others — and learning what you can do to help. 

Volunteer Your Time 

Do you have some spare time? Then why not consider volunteering with an organization? You don’t have to look very far to find people who need help. If you have specialist skills, then all the better. If you don’t have time to donate, then you can always support them financially. In many cases, the best way to make a difference is to simply support the people who are in a position to bring about change. There’s information at the end of this article that outlines how you can get started.

Support Other People On Their Journey

You may have been lucky enough to make your dreams come true. And that’s an amazing achievement that should bring you a lot of happiness. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that other people may have more difficulty with their journey. If you’re in a position to help them achieve their goals, then do so. This could be something as relatively straightforward as helping an immigrant learn English or working with an egg donation service to help someone get pregnant. As with volunteering, it’s all about thinking about what you can do to help others and then doing it. 

Look To Your Street 

All too often, we think that in order to make a difference in the world, we have to do something big. However, remember that small acts can be just as powerful as big ones. Moving forward, look to see what you can do on a local level — even just on your street. For example, is there a pensioner who struggles to carry their shopping? Is there someone who’s going through a tough time? In those instances, just showing up and offering your help can be enough to spread some positivity in the world.