I realize that many people, regardless of how well intentioned, don’t have a great deal of spare time, nor do they have the financial resources to support every cause that they believe in. Well, perhaps it might interest you to know that people taking less than 1 minute per day, without spending a penny, without leaving their computer chair, were able to: save 75,000,000 square feet of rainforest, provide 5.2 million cups of food for starving people, give neglected animals several hundred thousand meals, all in the period of just a few weeks. It’s true, and if you read on I will share how this was done and I will also give you 6 other quick and easy ideas that can make a big difference in the world. First though, a little story.

“When hope impedes action it simply becomes another four letter word.”

One day in the tropics, 2 friends, Compassion and Hope, set out on a little boat trip: something like a 3-hour tour. Well, as you might have guessed, there was a storm and these two comrades were shipwrecked on a little island. Luck was on there side however, as there was plenty of food and water on the island.

Actually, as soon as he saw the abundance of coconuts lying on the ground, Compassion started to gather them up and put them in a big pile beside some sharp rocks. While Compassion was busy gathering the food, Hope took one of the smaller rocks and sat at the base of a coconut palm. Compassion was a little perplexed so he approached his friend and asked if everything was all right. Hope looked up at his sweaty friend and said that everything was fine. Still perplexed, Compassion asked Hope what he intended to accomplish sitting under the tree. Hope replied, “ Well, I think everything happens for a reason, and we were obviously meant to be here, in this situation, so I don’t think I need to go around and pick up coconuts: if the universe wants me to eat, then coconuts will fall directly on this sharp rock beside me and then I will have something to eat. While you are running around gathering coconuts I am going to sit here and wait for the coconuts to fall.”

Needless to say, it took several weeks before the rescue ship found them, and that was only because Compassion had taken the time to build a signal fire, and had Compassion not taken the time and energy to ensure that Hope stayed fed, there would only have been one person for the ship to rescue.

I think the point in the story is relatively clear, but before I convey the wrong message, I would like to clarify one thing: I believe that “hope” is a fundamental part of life. Indeed, I believe that once we relinquish hope our existence will likely come to an abrupt end. The essence of the story and the aphorism at the beginning are intended to convey that while we have hope we can continue to look for ways to make a difference in the world, to make a difference in the universe.

Those who know me, or those that might have encountered my books, “A Tiny Book of Thoughts”, “A Tiny Book of Thoughts Too” and “Another Tiny Book of Thoughts” will hopefully realize that one of my strongest desires is to try and make a difference without trying to push my beliefs on others. I think it is important to honor the journey of those around you while still trying to make a difference: to assist while still allowing people room to walk their own path. Certainly there is a fine line here and a whole article that can be written on this topic, so my guideline is this, “Be the best person you can be and let the universe take care of the rest.” This of course requires that regardless of what somebody you revere says, regardless of what some author claims to be fact, you must first honor your own truth. If the thoughts I share in this article don’t resonate with you, please leave them; however, I hope that at the very least some of these ideas will assist you on your journey.

So, back to ways to the 7 simple ways to change the world:

1) Donate per click websites. There are websites on the Internet that donate to various causes using what is called a “donate per click” option. There is no cost to the user, nothing is traced, there are no pop up ads, no strings attached, it takes about 1 minute per day and you will have donated to 8 or 9 causes. A person can only click each cause once per day and the individual amounts are quite small, but as you saw from the information above, they add up quickly. The way it works is that a sponsor puts a banner on the website and merely the fact that you see their banner has a value to them and hence they contribute to that cause. In addition, if you buy something from a sponsor, and some of them have great products, they donate even more. Enough of my chatter, if you go to:

http://ecologyfund.com

you can start there with 4 or 5 causes and then when those are done there is a link to one of the following sites that has 5 other causes (including breast cancer, hunger, children’s health, the rainforest)

http://www.therainforestsite.com
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com

2) Express gratitude. Although this might be one of the easiest ways to transform the world, it might also be one of the most overlooked. It seems that we have procedures and people to handle complaints, yet there are very few avenues for giving thanks or to give a compliment. How many people can say that they don’t like being told when their actions or words made a difference? A few compassionate words of gratitude can really have a positive effect in someone’s life.

If a person was working at the time of your encounter, share your thoughts with their boss. Everyday we deal with people on a professional level: a cashier at the coffee shop, a clerk at the grocery store, a bus driver perhaps. A quick letter or thank you note sent to an employer can do wonders for an employee’s moral and maybe for their career.

Also, why not send a thank you note, a poem, or use your talents to create a token of gratitude for one of your friends? Make a pledge to yourself to commit one act of gratitude per week/month/day, it doesn’t have to cost a penny and you will transform the lives of all those you touch.

3) Create beauty. There are countless ways to help beautify your world. One way to do this is to find out what flowers/plants/trees are indigenous to your area and gather some seeds from them. Failing that you can likely purchase some indigenous plant seeds at a local nursery. Take the seeds with you when you go to an area in your community that could use some greenery and simple sprinkle the seeds around/plant them. The idea is not to use a lot of your time to nurture the plants, just give mother nature a start and let her do the rest.

4) R.A.K. Random Acts of Kindness can be done quickly, easily and anonymously. Without any thought given to whom the recipient will be, do something nice for somebody. There are countless ways to do this: perhaps leave a trinket in a public place, at a person’s desk, or on the bus. I would like to suggest though that if you leave the item anonymously you may wish to attach a note saying something like, “If you found this item then it is yours. This was a random act of kindness and I hope you like this gift. If you don’t, please leave if for another person or pass it on to somebody who might enjoy it.” otherwise it could very likely just end up in the “Lost and Found.” As an extension of this idea simply leave items for an organization like a homeless shelter or an animal shelter. The idea is to commit a relatively spontaneous, kind act that will bring pleasure to someone ~ use your imagination. Warning, this can be habit forming.

5) Support conscientious service providers. Get extra business cards from those people whose work you admire or whose services you feel you would recommend to your best friends: not just the shop down the street, but the shop/person that you feel is making a difference in the world. As an example, I have a friend in the computer business and whenever I go to his store I always take 2 business cards to keep in my wallet. As is usually the case, within a few weeks I have encountered people looking for help with their computer and I give them the card. We all know people who do amazing work, who go above and beyond: why not connect those people to those seeking their services.

6) Learn to speak good (yes, this was deliberate). This might sound a little like homework (I guess it is in a way because your mind is part of your home and this idea will hopefully help you improve that home and, in turn, your whole neighborhood.) Grab a dictionary or a thesaurus and look up any word that you would use to describe a positive trait in someone. Write the definition down, or else just write down the synonyms of that word. Choose one or more of the synonyms and try to use the word(s) where appropriate during the up-coming week. The following week pick another word and do the same thing in addition to using the word from the previous week(s). The concept here is to expand the “positive” words in your vocabulary and use them where possible. As you use more and more positive words you will likely find that your whole outlook becomes more positive and the ripples will benefit everyone you meet.

7) Become part of the solution. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Although I don’t know the exact numbers, in Canada when a person participates in a survey their voice represents approximately 14,000 opinions. This is to say that because the organization conducting the survey can’t contact every person in the country they will contact a number of people that is statistically representative of the population. Consequently, your voice is actually considered to be the voice of thousands. If you believe in a cause, take a moment to write a letter to those in power and share your thoughts. For those who aren’t inclined to write, there will likely be a group or organization that believes in the same cause. Why not add your name to their list thereby empowering them with your voice? The more people these groups represent the more they are able to get the attention of the powers that be.

8) Yes, I realize that I said there would be 7 ideas, but I always try to deliver more than I promise, so here is one final idea: volunteer. As I already mentioned, I know many people don’t have a lot of spare time, yet I also know that the average person watches roughly 20+ hours of television/week. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with watching TV, I am only saying is that there are hundreds of organizations that need people to help out, and if people had an idea of how enriching the volunteer experience could be, they would pay for the opportunity. I do some volunteer work in a hospice and please trust me when I say that the experience is absolutely amazing. Although some people say they could never spend time in a hospice, these very same people are amazingly gifted with animals, children or the homeless. The trick is to find an organization or cause that you resonate with.

While the ideas mentioned above appear simple, it is precisely that fact that makes them powerful and enables them to be readily incorporated into a busy lifestyle. Please alter them as you see fit and incorporate others as well. Although there are countless ways to make a difference in the world, the bottom line is that there are those in need of assistance, and while hope is crucial, it is through our actions that we are compassionate. Karl Schmidt

Karl Schmidt is the author of, “A Tiny Book of Thoughts”, “A Tiny Book of Thoughts Too, ” and “Another Tiny Book of Thoughts.” In addition he is a columnist and contributor for The Phoenix News, and is one of the founding members of newsforthesoul.com, and a core team member of “Clam Chowder for the Soul.”