Doing Good and Feeling Better

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Perhaps you are like me and when you think of doing good you think of making a huge sacrifice of time to a worthy project that you really don't want to do. The many folks that have participated in these projects typically say they are happy they participated because they "received more than they gave." However, there are many more of us who choose not to invest so heavily and fail to reap the rewards of doing good.

While I have done some charitable activities in my lifetime, I have spent far more time not participating. Lately I have been interested in how we can do good without making a huge sacrifice of time and effort, yet still reap the benefit of feeling good about doing good. By lowering the bar on what I consider "doing good," I am able to make daily efforts rather than making one huge sacrifice.

What do I mean by making daily efforts. Think of what you would do to improve the world. Would you feed the hungry, help children, or bring others to a greater awareness of God? Whatever your answer, consider one activity you could do tomorrow that would contribute to your definition of a better world.

The environmental movement provides a good example. Instead of asking you to make big sacrifices to save the planet, the movement suggests that you make small changes such as the type of light bulb you purchase, the use of reusable shopping sacks, or wasting less water. These activities do not singlehandedly save the planet, but you can feel you are doing good. The wisdom of this movement is that if every one of us makes a small effort the impact on the earth can be tremendous.

You may not be inclined to environmental causes but toward others, yet you can find similar small efforts that can reap big rewards if done by many. For instance, the coffee and chocolate industry is planning to reduce cocoa and coffee beans produced by child slave labor in West Africa over the next four years. Imagine the impact, if Americans suddenly decided to refuse to purchase coffee or chocolate that was produced in these African nations. I doubt that it would take four years to end the practice of child slave labor. You can begin by choosing to purchase products by companies that are socially responsible. Your dollars spent can be a vote for doing good and you spend your dollars daily.

Doing good can have a great impact on your mood. You feel good about your actions, but you also feel better about yourself as someone willing to do good. As you feel better about yourself, your self-worth improves. You get the picture, small steps lead to an improved mood. Start today, start doing good!