You play a key role in making a change
Originally uploaded by tranggbangg!

The world: your world, the world of a perfect stranger or that of friends & family closest to you - how do you make the universe smile on you? However you want to think of building on your day to day with positivity - as the concept of karma, the laws of attraction, the plain and simple notion of simply doing what is right - sharing something, anything, of yourself can contribute to the lives of those around you in ways you could little expect or know. To do a good deed without hope or agenda is something that we should be doing each day, not as a resolution or daily goal, but out of habit and because positivity and ethical awareness is what is right.

The way you inject a little bit of awesome into the universe each day need not be a grand gesture that will cost you a days wages or take hours of your time, the greatest acts of making the world a little better are those that are small .... because we all know that many small deeds come together to create big difference. Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling:

- Smile

- Volunteer, look for something local, even if it's just a once off, commit as much of your time as you know you can do

- Buy the Big Issue

- Donate your old clothes to a charity store

- Shop at Oxfam & local charity stores

- Buy fair trade coffee

- Sponsor a child, partner up with a friend if that is more affordable for you..

- Buy your beauty products at conscientious stores like The Body Shop (learn more about why The Body Shop is so great!)& Lush

- Don't take plastic bags, remember your canvas bags. Every time.

- Be green. Respect the world you live in, the world you probably hope will be in good nick for your children to grow up in. Recycle everything that can be recycled. Buy less prepackage products. Turn lights & electrical goods off when not in use. Don't use 'standby'. Use power saving globes. Get the bus or walk. Don't drive a four wheel drive, particularly in the city. Get your work place into recycling, particularly of paper. Don't throw out old clothes, donate or sell on ebay. The list could go on and on, you know the drill by now - start living green, it's so simple!

- Give your time

- Call your nanna! Better yet, if you're nearby, go visit & take flowers

- Write that novel you have partially written in your mind

- Explore your talent: sing at a bar, busk on a street corner, join a band, volunteer your musical prowess at a care home.

- Using your tech skills to assist an not for profit organisation to get their online presence kick started with a website

- Get to know your neighbour

- Donate muffins & cookies to your local schools fete day

- Buy local from the farmers market on Saturday: fresh produce, craft, jams & chutneys!

- Don't do drugs... did you know that for every gram of cocaine snorted, four square metres of rainforest are destroyed? Still just having a laugh?

- Start training for a charity marathon, even if you've never run before, what better inspiration?

- Be aware. We all read, watch, listen to news each day but how much do you really know about what is going on across the globe? Try reading up on some of the biggest human rights issues we are currently facing and, armed with knowledge, find ways YOU can take action. Amnesty International is a great place to start.


....what do you do to make the world a better place?