When you think of “doing good,” what do you think of? Maybe you think of donating to charity, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or even ditching your plastic bags for reusable ones. Whatever your something good is, have you ever really thought about why you’re driven to do it?
Why Should I Be Doing Good?
Besides the obvious perk of helping others, there are many personal benefits to doing good deeds. These range from psychological benefits to religious benefits, if that’s your thing.
Doing something worthwhile to help others will help give you a sense of purpose. Charity acts, such as working at a soup kitchen or midnight runs will help guide you to find what makes you feel good and where you really can make an impact.
In most religions, good deeds are rewarded with the ultimate prize – a ticket into heaven or some other afterlife perks.
How Can I Do Good?
Volunteer
This is the most direct way to get involved. You can look into soup kitchens, homeless shelters, church groups, or within your school or workplace. Many schools and employers will occasionally offer programs for their students/employees to get those “good” hours in.
What’s awesome about volunteering is that you can really cater to your interests. If you’re interested in music, why not try teaching music to kids at a low rate or free who can’t afford lessons?
Look around in your local area for;
- Humane Societies
- Food pantries
- Big Brother Big Sister programs
- YMCAs
- National parks
- Libraries
- Political campaigns
Donate to Charity
If you don’t have the time to do things like walking the dogs at your local animal shelter, that’s okay! You can still do some good. Charitable acts are in full swing during the winter holidays but there’s almost always a huge drop in charity once it gets warmer outside. You drop the toy in the bin at the grocery store in December, why not drop off your old winter coats at a shelter once it’s warm too?
It’s really easy to donate to charity now, many grocery stores will allow you to round up your change to the nearest dollar to donate or other amounts. If they don’t offer this, they may have a bin of non-perishables to be donated along with other solutions and ideas.
There are millions of charities out there benefitting pretty much every topic you can think of. Do some research about charities that will benefit a cause you’re passionate about.
Support Socially Conscious Brands
One for one brands are donating their product to those in need, supporting charities or doing a combination of both. These are a great option for integrating doing good into your everyday life. Next time you feel like doing good, just remember that everything helps. An hour of your time or a dollar of your money can make all the difference.
