51 ways to make a difference in the world

PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN shares a list of 51 small acts that will make a difference in the lives of others and yourself. See which ones resonate with you, and try one or two this week.

Have you met a stranger who completely changed the way you looked at this world?

That someone at the departmental shop who let you ahead of him in the queue, because your child was losing patience, or that someone in a public transport who offered you a seat because you looked so exhausted, or a vendor who waived you away the change you owed him, just because you had no coins in your pockets.

Well, this world is full of such compassionate – kind and beautiful souls! This everyday kindness is a blessing; it gives an instantaneous joy, which is refreshing, and pleasant.

Today, in our current lifestyle, how could one make a difference in this world? As the New Year dawned, when the whole world made plans and resolutions, what did you chose to do?

Here are 51 ways to make a difference in the world.

GIVING

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” 
―Mother Teresa

1. 1 pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. You can save 3 lives if you choose to donate blood.

2. Got a lot of shoes and clothes, gathering dust in the closet? Donate them to an orphanage.

3. Donate a month’s color pencil supplies to the kindergarten class of your local school. Kids love colors. See the joy in their eyes.

4. Pay-It-Forward to assist the local farmer. And motivate him/her to go completely organic.

5. Feed stray animals. Make one of them your pets, if you like to.

6. Say sorry to someone from whom you expect an apology. Yes, that is the only way to mend fences. Give, don’t expect to get.

7. Blog about a social issue which needs attention. And share it on Social Media.

8. Dedicate a complete day to help out a friend in his/her aspirations and goals.

9. Grow out your hair for a couple of months religiously. Cut it all out, and donate to an organization which makes cute wigs for kids.

10. Rescue stray animals to hand them over to an animal shelter like the Blue Cross.

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DOING

“Stop doing what is easy or popular.
Start doing what is right.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

11. All that trash lying around in your neighborhood? Organize a weekend clean-up drive.

12. Got some talent? Is it singing? Or dancing? Or playing the lute? Teach a few kids for free.

13. Visit the old-age home in your locality and spend an hour reading out books to the elders. Their smile would warm your heart.

14. Volunteer at the Suicide Hotline in your city. Save a life.

15. Plant a tree (sapling) in your backyard.

16. Volunteer to babysit a few hours at the orphanage.

17. Collect reusable plastic for recycling. Clean up the environment.

18. Bake cookies for a relative whom you have not met in a year. Surprise him/her.

19. Gift a tree (sapling) to your best friend on his/her birthday.

20. Babysit to help out a single-parent. Tell him/her to go have some “me-time.”

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SHARING

“Love only grows by sharing.
You can only have more for yourself
by giving it away to others.”
―Brian Tracy

21. Share your snacks, lunch or coffee with a friend at work.

22. Show an embarrassing photo to friends. Give them a good laugh.

23. Have a lot of grocery coupons? Give some to the first person you meet on the sidewalk.

24. What is your aspiration? Share it with a complete stranger and ask him/her what he/she thinks about it. Their no-nonsense response could change your life.

25. Upgraded to the latest iphone? What did you do the older model? Give it to someone who needs them.

26. Buy two copies of the Heartfulness Magazine. Give one to a friend who does not yet read it. And subscribe your friend to the free digital version of the e-magazine.

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COMMITTING

"Commitment is what transforms
a promise into reality."
–Abraham Lincoln

27. Mentor someone.

28. Avoid plastic bags for a month. If you can create the habit, avoid them for a year.

29. Plant a vegetable crop in your porch and water them every day.

30. Create vegetable/fruit waste compost for your vegetable garden.

31. Save an hour’s electricity, than your usual consumption, every day.

32. Do not waste leftovers for a week. Save food. At the end of the week, you would have learnt to cook adequately, not more than what you need.

33. Have you heard of the of the United Nations Foundations? Lobby for at least 2 of them. I chose #5 and #16. Check out what they are.

34. Teach a girl child to write. Take a tiny step towards women-empowerment.

35. Sponsor an entire year’s education for a girl child, if you can afford it.

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LOVING

“Love is that condition in which
the happiness of another person
is essential to your own.”
―Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

36. Cook for a friend.

37. Tell someone they look beautiful. And mean it. And if they smile back at you, you meant it.

38. Launder for your spouse. Give him/her a rest.

39. Share favorite recipes with complete strangers and follow up to see if they cooked them.

40. Buy a cup of coffee for the person standing next to you, at Starbucks.

41. Give a hug to a homeless person today morning.

42. Sing nursery rhymes to your neighbor’s toddler.

43. Surprise your spouse with a gift he/she would cherish for all his/her life.

44. Say “Thank You” and “I Love You” to 10 people today.

MEDITATING / FEELING

“The best and most beautiful things in the world
cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart.”
―Helen Keller

45. Make a list of things you are grateful for, at the end of the day. How do you feel when you thank God for those? Write your feelings in your diary.

46. Hug a tree. Feel the energy. Ask a friend to do the same. Make this a weekly habit.

47. When you wake up, count the number of people who would be happy to see you. Call one of them randomly to say “Good Morning.”

48. Help a child relax. If necessary, recite the Relaxation. Give a mental hug!

49. Learn to meditate by getting in touch with a Heartfulness Trainer.

50. Take a friend to meditate along with you, to your Heartfulness trainer.

51. Enroll yourself for three masterclasses in Meditation through this link - https://en.heartfulness.org/masterclass/. Resolve to achieve something amazing through the science of meditation.

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Go on. Do more. Let the list grow to #101. And share it with us.

Write to contributions@heartfulness.org and tell us what you chose to do from the above list, and why. Share with us your experience of making a difference in the world.

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