Ways the world could be a better place

Use less paper Our forests are being cut down at an alarming rate. Conserve the trees by conserving paper. Send an e-mail instead of a letter, type directions into your cell phone instead of writing them down, and bring your own fabric shopping bags to the store.

Drive less Even the use of hybrid vehicles contributes to carbon emissions, greenhouse gases, and reduced air quality. Take a moment to consider how you can use your personal vehicle less. You could carpool or take public transportation to work, walk to church, or bike to pick up a few things from the store and make the world a better place. Conserve water Taking long showers and letting the water run as you brush your teeth are indulgences that negatively impact our world.

Try to limit your water usage by timing how long you have the water running, and trying to beat that time the next time you turn on the faucet. Donate to clean water charities A large portion of the world is without fresh drinking water. Educate yourself about the drought epidemic, and make the world a better place by donating to organizations and charities helping to fight against the lack of clean water around the globe.

Your donation could result in the reduction of preventable, water-related diseases. Be generous It's easy to be selfish with your time, money, and resources by getting caught up in our material-driven societal expectations. Try being generous and see how your life changes. This tiny blog was entirely focused on happiness.

Its message was that the most important thing in life is - you guessed it - your happiness. Nothing else. Wealth, success, love, adventures, fitness, sex, fame, whatever. It all doesn't matter, as long as you're happy. After all, happiness is correlated to all kinds of positive things, from confidence to creativity. It's because there's a lot of proof that shows that more happiness in the world would lead to fewer conflicts. Also, being happy at what you do makes you better at what you do.

The point I'm trying to make here is that the world is not only better with you in it. The world would be a better place if you were as happy as you can. We all deserve to be happy. If you focus more on your own happiness, you're indirectly making the world a better place.

Spread your happiness to others Now that we know that a happy world is a better world, it must be clear why it's important to spread happiness to others. Studies have found that laughter is contagious and that the act of smiling can help make you feel happier.

Our tendency to mimic the facial expressions and body language of those around us can have a powerful effect on our moods. But spreading happiness is not only a great way to make the world a better place, it's also surprisingly effective at making ourselves happier. By trying to lift the mood of others, we will indirectly lift our own happiness as well.

How can you put this to practice? Smile to a stranger. Laughter is one of the best remedies for sadness. Do something nice for somebody else, a random act of kindness. Make a compliment to somebody else and notice how it affects their happiness. Allow yourself to be vulnerable Being vulnerable is often thought of as being weak. This is especially true for men, even though most of them are probably not aware of it including yours truly. I'll use myself as an example: I often find it hard to show my emotions, especially around people that I don't personally care about.

If a colleague has a terrible day at work, I'm probably the last guy in the room to give that person a hug. It's not that I don't want to be compassionate, it's just that I grew up with the idea that needing support is a sign of weakness. As if asking for help is somehow bad. This train of thought has kept me from showing appreciation , love and compassion, even though I really wish I should have.

I try to get rid of this notion, and it's proving to be a challenge so far. But I believe the world would be a better place if more people tried to let their guards down. Here's a great article that contains actionable ways to show compassion.

Be a volunteer Most people see volunteering as a good and noble endeavor, but many are reluctant to actually volunteer. Volunteering is a fantastic way to make the world a better place. Most volunteers spent their time helping those who need it most. By doing so, they are indirectly reducing the amount of inequality in the world which was the first thing to do in this article. It may not come as a surprise that volunteering is also proven to positively enhance your own happiness. A study found that people who volunteer consistently report to be healthier both physically and mentally than those who do not.

Another important finding of this study was that those who were less well socially integrated benefited the most, meaning that volunteering may be a way to empower groups who are socially excluded otherwise. Pick up trash Picking up trash is probably the most actionable way to make the world a better place, from an environmental and ecological point of view. There's simply nothing that stops you from going out right now, to bring an empty trash bag and to fill it by picking up trash.

Depending on where you live, you can fill one or two bags of trash by just going for a minute walk around the block. Even though this may seem like an inconsequential thing to do, you should not underestimate the power of inspiration here. Whenever I've gone out to pick up trash myself, I've had multiple people stop by for a quick chat. They all let me know how much they think that it's amazing that somebody spends their free time picking up trash.

As an indirect result, I believe these people are more inclined to think twice before throwing out their garbage on the street. In fact, there's a growing movement of people that go out there to pick up trash in their free time. There is even a subreddit with over , members that talk about their experiences picking up trash. That's probably because picking up trash is one of the simplest and most actionable ways to help make the world a better place.

Don't judge others too soon Have you ever noticed how easy it is to judge others, without actually knowing what they're dealing with? I'm unfortunately a perfect example of this questionable habit. I recently saw an overweight man riding a bicycle. The shirt he was wearing was undersized and his pants were a little down.

As a result, he showed a massive buttcrack to everyone he passed on the street. According to most standards, this was not a pretty sight. My girlfriend - having a better functioning moral compass than I have - quickly pointed out that I have no idea what shit he may be dealing with. It's so easy to judge others for the way they look, dress, behave or appear. What we don't know is how quickly our way of thinking becomes adapted to those negative judgmental thoughts.

Especially when nobody ever speaks up about your negativity. I'm happy my girlfriend made me realize how judgmental I was. Hell, maybe I should have asked her to write this article instead of me. I recently saw this image on Twitter, that perfectly encapsulates what I mean here: — the Awkward Yeti Nick Seluk theawkwardyeti June 11, My point here is that judging others comes easy for most of us. It's tempting to point out flaws in other people, as it makes us feel better about ourselves.

But it's really important to realize that this behavior is not making the world a better place. Instead, the world would be better off if we'd focus more of our energy on highlighting someone's strengths. Being a judgmental person all the time won't help the world. Try to think positive and spread your happiness This one expands on the previous tip.

Instead of being judgmental all the time, why not spend that same energy in trying to be more positive? There's plenty of proof that positivity makes the world a better place. Here's a simple example from the Medical University of Rochester : Researchers reviewed the results of over 80 studies to look for common findings. They found optimism had a remarkable impact on physical health.

The study examined overall longevity, survival from a disease, heart health, immunity, cancer outcomes, pregnancy outcomes, pain tolerance, and other health topics. It seemed that those who had a more optimistic outlook did better and had better results than those who were pessimistic. While this proves the impact that positivity has on an individual, there's also science that shows how positive behavior can increase happiness in those you interact with.

This study found that your happiness can spread to your friends, which then spreads to their friends, and so on. As we discussed earlier, a happy world is a better world to live in. So by thinking positively and spreading your happiness, you're making the world a better place!

Help someone out for free Whereas the previous tip lacked an actionable takeaway, this tip is super easy to implement. By helping someone out for free, you're spreading your positivity to others while also closing the gap between those who are in need and those who are well off already.

What can you do to implement this idea and make the world a better place? Help out a colleague with a project of theirs. Do some grocery shopping for an elder. Give some of your food to a food bank. Provide your support for a good cause at a rally. Find opportunities to give compliments. Give someone a lift. Offer a listening ear to your friend or colleague. Give away some of your stuff to a thrift shop.

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Conserve the trees by conserving paper. Send an e-mail instead of a letter, type directions into your cell phone instead of writing them down, and bring your own fabric shopping bags to the store. Drive less Even the use of hybrid vehicles contributes to carbon emissions, greenhouse gases, and reduced air quality.

Take a moment to consider how you can use your personal vehicle less. You could carpool or take public transportation to work, walk to church, or bike to pick up a few things from the store and make the world a better place. Conserve water Taking long showers and letting the water run as you brush your teeth are indulgences that negatively impact our world. Try to limit your water usage by timing how long you have the water running, and trying to beat that time the next time you turn on the faucet.

Donate to clean water charities A large portion of the world is without fresh drinking water. Educate yourself about the drought epidemic, and make the world a better place by donating to organizations and charities helping to fight against the lack of clean water around the globe. Your donation could result in the reduction of preventable, water-related diseases. Be generous It's easy to be selfish with your time, money, and resources by getting caught up in our material-driven societal expectations.

Try being generous and see how your life changes. Buy coffee for the person behind you in line at Starbucks, read to children at your local library, or simply stop and listen for the answer when you ask a friend how they're doing. It's because there's a lot of proof that shows that more happiness in the world would lead to fewer conflicts.

Also, being happy at what you do makes you better at what you do. The point I'm trying to make here is that the world is not only better with you in it. The world would be a better place if you were as happy as you can. We all deserve to be happy.

If you focus more on your own happiness, you're indirectly making the world a better place. Spread your happiness to others Now that we know that a happy world is a better world, it must be clear why it's important to spread happiness to others. Studies have found that laughter is contagious and that the act of smiling can help make you feel happier.

Our tendency to mimic the facial expressions and body language of those around us can have a powerful effect on our moods. But spreading happiness is not only a great way to make the world a better place, it's also surprisingly effective at making ourselves happier. By trying to lift the mood of others, we will indirectly lift our own happiness as well. How can you put this to practice? Smile to a stranger. Laughter is one of the best remedies for sadness.

Do something nice for somebody else, a random act of kindness. Make a compliment to somebody else and notice how it affects their happiness. Allow yourself to be vulnerable Being vulnerable is often thought of as being weak. This is especially true for men, even though most of them are probably not aware of it including yours truly. I'll use myself as an example: I often find it hard to show my emotions, especially around people that I don't personally care about.

If a colleague has a terrible day at work, I'm probably the last guy in the room to give that person a hug. It's not that I don't want to be compassionate, it's just that I grew up with the idea that needing support is a sign of weakness. As if asking for help is somehow bad.

This train of thought has kept me from showing appreciation , love and compassion, even though I really wish I should have. I try to get rid of this notion, and it's proving to be a challenge so far. But I believe the world would be a better place if more people tried to let their guards down. Here's a great article that contains actionable ways to show compassion. Be a volunteer Most people see volunteering as a good and noble endeavor, but many are reluctant to actually volunteer. Volunteering is a fantastic way to make the world a better place.

Most volunteers spent their time helping those who need it most. By doing so, they are indirectly reducing the amount of inequality in the world which was the first thing to do in this article. It may not come as a surprise that volunteering is also proven to positively enhance your own happiness.

A study found that people who volunteer consistently report to be healthier both physically and mentally than those who do not. Another important finding of this study was that those who were less well socially integrated benefited the most, meaning that volunteering may be a way to empower groups who are socially excluded otherwise.

Pick up trash Picking up trash is probably the most actionable way to make the world a better place, from an environmental and ecological point of view. There's simply nothing that stops you from going out right now, to bring an empty trash bag and to fill it by picking up trash. Depending on where you live, you can fill one or two bags of trash by just going for a minute walk around the block. Even though this may seem like an inconsequential thing to do, you should not underestimate the power of inspiration here.

Whenever I've gone out to pick up trash myself, I've had multiple people stop by for a quick chat. They all let me know how much they think that it's amazing that somebody spends their free time picking up trash. As an indirect result, I believe these people are more inclined to think twice before throwing out their garbage on the street. In fact, there's a growing movement of people that go out there to pick up trash in their free time. There is even a subreddit with over , members that talk about their experiences picking up trash.

That's probably because picking up trash is one of the simplest and most actionable ways to help make the world a better place. Don't judge others too soon Have you ever noticed how easy it is to judge others, without actually knowing what they're dealing with? I'm unfortunately a perfect example of this questionable habit.

I recently saw an overweight man riding a bicycle. The shirt he was wearing was undersized and his pants were a little down. As a result, he showed a massive buttcrack to everyone he passed on the street. According to most standards, this was not a pretty sight. My girlfriend - having a better functioning moral compass than I have - quickly pointed out that I have no idea what shit he may be dealing with.

It's so easy to judge others for the way they look, dress, behave or appear. What we don't know is how quickly our way of thinking becomes adapted to those negative judgmental thoughts. Especially when nobody ever speaks up about your negativity. I'm happy my girlfriend made me realize how judgmental I was. Hell, maybe I should have asked her to write this article instead of me. I recently saw this image on Twitter, that perfectly encapsulates what I mean here: — the Awkward Yeti Nick Seluk theawkwardyeti June 11, My point here is that judging others comes easy for most of us.

It's tempting to point out flaws in other people, as it makes us feel better about ourselves. But it's really important to realize that this behavior is not making the world a better place. Instead, the world would be better off if we'd focus more of our energy on highlighting someone's strengths. Being a judgmental person all the time won't help the world. Try to think positive and spread your happiness This one expands on the previous tip.

Instead of being judgmental all the time, why not spend that same energy in trying to be more positive? There's plenty of proof that positivity makes the world a better place. Here's a simple example from the Medical University of Rochester : Researchers reviewed the results of over 80 studies to look for common findings. They found optimism had a remarkable impact on physical health. The study examined overall longevity, survival from a disease, heart health, immunity, cancer outcomes, pregnancy outcomes, pain tolerance, and other health topics.

It seemed that those who had a more optimistic outlook did better and had better results than those who were pessimistic. While this proves the impact that positivity has on an individual, there's also science that shows how positive behavior can increase happiness in those you interact with. This study found that your happiness can spread to your friends, which then spreads to their friends, and so on. As we discussed earlier, a happy world is a better world to live in.

So by thinking positively and spreading your happiness, you're making the world a better place! Help someone out for free Whereas the previous tip lacked an actionable takeaway, this tip is super easy to implement. By helping someone out for free, you're spreading your positivity to others while also closing the gap between those who are in need and those who are well off already.

What can you do to implement this idea and make the world a better place? Help out a colleague with a project of theirs. Do some grocery shopping for an elder. Give some of your food to a food bank. Provide your support for a good cause at a rally. Find opportunities to give compliments. Give someone a lift.

Offer a listening ear to your friend or colleague. Give away some of your stuff to a thrift shop. This idea applies to everything. Even though your help is not requested, and you don't stand to profit from giving away your time, you'll be making the world a better place. Especially when you lend out your free help to someone who needs it most like a group of people that's treated unfairly.

Donate to good causes The last tip in this list is also relatively simple and actionable. Donating money to a good cause is one of the simplest ways to make the world a better place. You are probably reading this from a Western country.