Making a difference in the world is an idea that most people dream of, but it very rarely becomes a reality for the average human being. With everything that’s happened over the last 18 months, you might be wondering, or even pondering, what the meaning of life is and how you can ensure that a little part of you you stays and lives on, even after you are long on. In truth, unless you lead an incredible life and make mark on the world, it’s very unlikely that you will be remembered publicly 100 years after you’re gone; but if you dedicate your life to one of service then you are more likely to have a greater sense of satisfaction and to follow a meaningful and worthwhile path. You can make a difference. Read on to see how to achieve this.
Making A Difference In Your Life
Of course, recognition is not the only reason that you should be motivated to make a difference in the world. Being able to sit back and admire the fact that you have made your little part of the world a little bit better is an admirable call, and studies show that if we each took on the responsibility of improving our immediate environment and our current lifestyles, then the changes that would happen to humanity overall would be immense. With that in mind, here are eight ideas to help you start making a difference in the world and improving your own life in the process.
Start Recycling
That’s right, an easy one to begin with, start recycling everything and anything that can be recycled.
Although the dream of going zero waste may be out of your reach, aiming to practice reduce, reuse, repurpose, rot, and recycle is a good proceaa for everyone: for yourself, and your future offspring.
Find out what your city’s recycling policy is and make sure you are sticking to it, and the planet will certainly thank you.
Get Involved In Politics
Getting involved in politics might not sound like the most exciting idea to do, but it is actually one of the best ways for you to make a difference in the world around you.
Your local government and local politicians will be the ones who are making the decisions about your immediate area, and getting involved with these decisions will help you to have a positive impact on the place that you live, and on the people that you share your community with.
There are many types of politically affiliated associations, and even parties and groups that center on economic and financial power. Take a look around and join a group or an organization that you feel are aligned to your values and start making a difference as soon as possible.
Improve Your Education
If you truly want to make a difference in your immediate world, then improving your education in order to get a better job or to explore new ideas is a great way to start.
There are so many activities that you can do with no qualifications, and if you are truly dedicated to making a difference, you can go for qualifications in areas such as healthcare or environmentalism, as both of these will have an immediate impact as soon as you start practicing them.
Make A Conscious Effort To Listen
Listening seems to be a skill that is severely lacking in the 21st century; and that is a great shame, because without listening skills, we are doomed to forget important information and then repeat our past mistakes.
You should always be listening to people that you are speaking with. Even if you don’t agree with their views and opinions, you will still learn by listening to them and by trying to understand how they arrived at their current mental state or opinions. A good listener and a good debater will not only listen to their opponents’ views, but they will try to bolster their argument so that they have a strong position to contend with.
Take An Interest In Your Child’s Schooling
Just as your education is going to be a vital part of making a difference in the world, so is your child’s education. It’s time to take an interest in not only what they are learning but also how they are learning; and how this is affecting both their worldview and their mental well-being. The younger the child, the more like a sponge their mind is, which means it’s easy for them to learn, and also easy for them to be manipulated.
Taking an interest in your child’s education will mean that you can keep an eye on what they are learning and ensure that what they are learning aligns with your own personal and family values.
Make Time To Be Grateful Every Day
Being grateful is a difficult state to achieve when you are faced with lots of hardship and tough decisions. It can be incredibly difficult to find concepts to be grateful for, especially when you are making a conscious effort to be grateful every day; but there is solid scientific evidence to suggest that being someone who doesn’t take life for granted and being someone who is grateful for even the smallest of reasons is good for your mental and emotional well-being.
Give Back Regularly
What do you do to give back to your community? What even is your community? These are difficult questions to answer, especially if you know that you already don’t do enough to help your community get through the hard times or even just to give back.
Finding your community is the first step in learning how to give back; be that a local sports community or even your local church community, for example. Giving back will make you feel good and in turn it will help the people who most need a little hand in life—and will definitely make a difference to the world, just as you’d hoped.
Be Kind (But Don’t Be A Pushover)
The social media campaign of being kind only told half the story. It is important to try and be kind to people as much as possible. No one likes to be around someone who is purposefully rude and offensive, but in the same breath, we also need to consider whether or not it’s appropriate to stay quiet in order to be kind or to hurt some feelings by standing up for what you believe in.
In general, it’s always best to stand up for what you believe in and try to take the consequences for that. This can be difficult for people to get their heads around, especially when they know that what they believe in may be controversial, or that the status quo is very ingrained despite being poorly run.
If a cause pops up that truly does grate on you, however, then it is your moral obligation to stand up and be counted for your beliefs, as well as listen to others who don’t share your belief in order to test the strength of your feelings.
The bottom line is, if you find yourself involved in an activity or concept that you feel uncomfortable with or that makes you feel weak, then this is the time where you should be standing up and saying your piece.
No one ever made a difference in the world by ignoring the right path and going down the easy path, and as the famous phrase says:
“A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step”
