Small ways to make a big difference

It’s easy to look around and see problems: people out of work, water shortages, food contamination, starvation, natural disasters, environmental destruction, war, intolerance, there’s always something. If you’re like me, the sheer volume and magnitude of suffering can be overwhelming. I wonder what, if anything, I can do in the face of such need. Well, now there’s an answer!

Raam Dev, a writer and global traveler, recently initiated a collaborative project to change the world. He invited dozens of bloggers to send him simple, easy ways to make the world a better place. His new, free e-book, “Small Ways to Make a Big Difference,” is the result. In his words, “In just three weeks, over 40 bloggers contributed more than 100 ways to live more sustainabl[y], to live happier and healthier, to get more out of life, to inspire and share, to reconnect with our true selves, to be a leader, to exist more intelligently.”

I downloaded the book before we left Hawaii. When I first flipped through the table of contents, I was concerned by some duplicative content, but Raam’s introduction indicated that was intentional — proof that an idea was particularly important and “likely to make the biggest difference.” I read the whole book, and its 160 suggestions, in one setting. Although the content is rich, the read is short and sweet. I highly recommend it. You don’t need to implement all or even any of the recommendations, just consider what works for you in your life.  But remember…

You are already making a difference.  The way we interact with others and the choices that we make every day are changing the world right now.  Whether these changes are positive or negative is entirely up to us. — Raam Dev

Some of my favorite suggestions from the e-book, along with short excerpts, are:

• Change yourself first: “Choose not to judge by assuming all persons belonging to a group are ‘bad’ because one or two bad examples arise.” — Farnoosh Brock, Prolific Living
• Vote with your money: “Every dollar in your pocket is a vote.  Change how you spend your money…and the world changes.” — Ali Dark
• Don’t give up: “There is no such thing as failure.  A company can fail and go bankrupt, but you are not a company.  You are a human being, and as long as there is blood running through your veins, you can keep kicking and screaming.” — Jarkko Laine
• Have gratitude: “The quickest way to change the world is to appreciate the way it is.” — Jonathan Mead, Illuminated Mind
• Live consciously: You’ll have to read the whole quote to appreciate this one but, on a meta-level, the contributor (Farnoosh Brock, Prolific Living) suggests eating consciously, speaking consciously and behaving consciously.
• Make something beautiful: “You’re able to do something that no one else can.  Do that.  Revel in it.  Everyone will benefit.” — Steve Haase, ThoughtLead
• Adapt: “Things will not always go the way you’ve planned, but they almost always turn out fine.” — Jessica Reader, Love and Trash

If you like one or more of these, there are hundreds more in “Small Ways to Make a Big Difference.”  Download and enjoy!  And, if you have a blog, please keep the message alive.

With love and gratitude,