It Is Time to Step It Up a Notch!

For years, I have recommended a gratitude practice to improve your mood and well-being. It is tool train your mind to focus on the positive, to see the beauty in simple things, to know that every day is a gift.

As I said in my last post, a gratitude practice can also help manage feelings of vulnerability in a world that seems to be more and more chaotic. It can calm us enough to move from anxiety to concern when tragic events happen.

However, I have come to realize that it is time to step it up a notch.

• Gratitude may help you feel better but it isn’t enough.
• Concern and prayers for those who experience hardship, struggle and tragedy isn’t enough.

We need to move from concern to action!

I know we just completed the season of joy and giving but why limit ourselves to the holiday season?

Serving a meal to the less fortunate on Thanksgiving is great but those people are hungry everyday. Donating gifts and goods to give someone a Merrier Christmas is great but those people are in need everyday.

I’m not saying we should quit our jobs, to become a full-time humanitarians. I am simply encouraging you to look beyond yourself and your immediate surroundings. You will see a world that needs your help right now.

Imagine how much better the world would be if people weren’t only thinking about doing something good but actually acting out this goodness.

• You can donate money or material goods.
• You can donate your time to a social service organization.
• You can donate your talents online to organizations without leaving your couch.
• You can teach your children the importance of service in a way that they can relate to.

This year, my family is collecting new and very gently loved stuffed animals to donate to children who have endured natural disasters or have fled their country to find safety. If you have stuffed animals you would like to donate, click here.

There is no act of goodness that is too small to serve others. A great resource to find opportunities to serve others is networkforgood.org/volunteer.

As you begin the new year, perhaps planning to improve yourself, add a commitment serve others and you will truly improve the world.