Do you lay awake at night, pondering over the uneasiness your heart feels? You’re a good human being, you’ve achieved considerable success in life, and you have a great family, a steady income, a healthy friend circle, so where does this feeling of fulfillment come from? Do you often find your subconscious pestering you? Asking you what your purpose in life is? Well, for starters, let us tell you that if you’re feeling this way, it is an indication that in a world of bad, you have a good soul. Not many feel this way, and sadly many people are simply too unprivileged to be thinking about problems other than their own. When we look around us we can be very clear that nature has rather unmercifully handed out misfortunes. Innocent little kids either hunger-stricken or parent-less, elders left alone in their most vulnerable age, or just adults helpless with the state of their lives. The problems in this world are very daunting but don’t let your head sink in the idea of ‘what can one person do to make a difference’. No matter how small it seems in your mind, no act of kindness is trivial. One never knows just when, only a little smile or a little push in the right direction, can help turn someone’s world around. If anyone knew best about the helping spirit its Mother Teresa and she said, very rightly so:
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
This very simply translates to that even if your ability enables you to help one individual, know that the difference you make in this one individual’s life, is something to be proud of. So here’s our list of some big and some small ways that you can make a difference in someone’s life:
Obtain a degree
If your passion lies in helping others and you can see yourself dedicating your career path to this honorable cause, the most logical way to do this is to obtain an online masters of social work degree. Let’s not get into the benefits of getting an online degree because we’re sure, in today’s digital age, this is common knowledge. What we should instead focus on is how this degree will enable you to firstly, understand the plights of our society and secondly, better equipped to deal with them. Most rural communities in the US are home to several deep-running predicaments. With a health system that does not cater to those living in poverty, a fostering system that has failed children over and over again, a lack of care providers for elderly and children alike and numerous other issues that require a comprehensive understanding of social issues. Obtaining a master’s degree in social work will grant you the skills to make changes in the system itself and therefore creating a much larger impact on misfortunate lives.
Volunteer
Before you get disheartened thinking that only an acquired degree can help you, help others, please stop. Like we said earlier, no generosity rendered is neglectable. Having a degree is not a prerequisite to having compassion. Social workers are the top-tier of a system that requires a host of other people to aid in the cause. A large number of social services require volunteers to do tasks such as running a soup kitchen or tutoring a child. You don’t even have to volunteer for an organization. Simple lookout for the people around you. Volunteer to mow a lawn or shovel snow off the yard of your elderly neighbors. Offer to babysit for a single mother or a low-income family who cannot afford child-care. This can be as simple as going to an elder-care home and offering to read to the inhabitants.
Donate
This can range largely, from registering to donate organs, to donating blood, to donating new or gently-used items for the less-privileged. The next time you feel ungrateful towards that closet full of clothes you don’t appreciate, sort through them and make a pile full of clothing items that you don’t wear often but still hoard. The items that are collecting dust in your wardrobe can be the fabric that keeps someone warm during a harsh winter. If you’re willing to spend some money on donations, buy gift certificates from your grocery store and donate to a local food bank. To make it easier for you here’s a list of food items that are needed by food banks.
Conclusion
The most crucial thing to remember is again, no action compelled by compassion is unneeded. An emphatic pat on the back of a genuine smile is sometimes all that’s needed to change someone’s bad day into a good one. Never be deterred by the feeling that you can’t do enough to help. There are a thousand and more ways to aid those less fortunate than you. Of course, there are the big ones such as supporting organizations like No kid hungry but even the small ones like keeping an outwardly gaze unto the people around you and offering to help on occasions as insignificant as changing a flat tire, are contributing to making this world a better place to live in.