We all want to ‘change the world’ a little bit, don’t we? Make it a better place to live in.
Nevertheless, most of the time, we do nothing, because we simply don’t know where to start. Yesterday sombody said to me: ‘If you’re part of the solution, you’re not part of the problem’. I don’t know the original source of that quote, but somehow it stuck with me. If we do just really small things on a regular basis, we’re part of the solution. We’re changing something. Here are some small ideas:
1 | Put some books aside you’re never going to read again and give them to Oxfam.
2 | Volunteer at your local soup kitchen for one hour every week.
3 | Babysit your friends children for free and give them the evening off.
4 | Buy a record on Noisetrade that gives the money away to a worthy cause.
5 | Sponsor a child and start spreading new hope (some great organisations: Compassion, Watoto or World Vision).
6 | Write a letter to somebody you know has been having a rough time.
7 | Host an auction with some friends. Prepare some snacks, sell clothes/stuff you don’t need anymore, have some fun and give the profits to a charity of your choice.
8 | Visit somebody you haven’t seen in some time (your grandma?) and ask them what you can do for them. If they say ‘there’s nothing’, ask again.
9 | Take some time and teach somebody a skill you’re really good at (for free).
10 | Buy more local/fair trade goods, like you’ve always wanted to. Start with one small thing on your shopping list, then add more every week.
As I said, these are all just small things, but still, they make a difference. And the list could go on and on…
What are you doing today to make the world a better place?
Lovely post!
This is such a lovely post Hanna! Really inspiring, I think I will do a couple of these myself :) Little things can make a difference.
Good list. From little things big things grow. There is a great YouTube clip of a Paul Kelly song but couldn’t paste in comments.
Great list, love it :)
Hanna’s Places is a green lifestyle magazine written by Hanna Ulatowski. It’s all about slowing down in a fast-paced society and finding ways to live a more sustainable, simple lifestyle.
July 7, 2014
It’s so true, one small change can create so much big positive action. I love the list you’ve compiled. It’s so important to remember that we have the power to great insane amounts of good. I think that sometimes we believe ourselves to be so small that we assume any contribution we might make wouldn’t be grand enough to be beneficial –but that’s so not true.