Why Good Deeds Don’t Have to be Big to be Impactful

Or: Why I think everyone should strive to make the world just a little bit better.

I think most people like to think of themselves as good. Generally speaking, we think of ourselves as the hero of our own story — even for people who don’t think of themselves as “good,” they generally do not think of themselves as a villain.

I like to do my best to live this approach in my life. I work for a nonprofit, I donate regularly to a variety of charitable endeavors, and I try to do right by my friends and the people I care about. I think doing good things in the world is good for both the people you impact and yourself. Simply put, doing good feels good.

Working in the nonprofit world, I’m used to seeing grand gestures of goodwill. Big donors dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars on a renovation or program that bears their name. Companies sponsoring a gala or golf tournament to show how good they are at supporting the local community. That kind of thing.

I think we tend to look at that kind of thing with misplaced feelings. It’s awe-inspiring to see someone throw a million dollars at a homeless shelter, but it makes a lot of us feel inadequate. I’m never going to have that kind of money, we think to ourselves. What good can I even do without the millions of dollars that we need to make any kind of impact?

Well, a good way to do good is to be good to everyone around you. Generally, doing no harm is a good place to start, since not being a jerk is about the bare minimum you can do to make people’s lives better. Even when you’re grumpy or upset or having a bad day, taking it out on the people around you accomplishes nothing.

Doing what you can to actively help people is a good next step. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture of goodwill, like a massive donation to a charity or a heroic act of bravery. It can be as simple as dropping $20 in a tip jar at the coffee shop or stacking your plates for the busser at a restaurant.

I or someone in my orbit have done both of those things in the past few months, and both times it got a huge reaction from the person in question. The busser said that it was the nicest thing anyone had done for them; the barista got weepy at the generosity.

Small acts of kindness can go a long way towards making someone’s day better. Things like being kind to a cashier when it’s busy at the grocery store, or letting someone go ahead of you in line when you’re not in a rush, can make a big difference in someone’s day.

Think about a time when you were having a bad day and nothing was going right, and when someone did something kind for you and you felt a bit better, even for just a minute. Try to spread that feeling around whenever you can. It doesn’t have to be every day — I’ve yet to meet someone who is always that cheerful — but on the days when you’re feeling good, spread the feeling around.

Also, try to be intentional about being good. That’s not to say that you should plan your good deeds, although that doesn’t hurt. However, making simple good deeds into habits and going out of your way to do good when someone seems to need it can go a long way to making other peoples’ lives better.

Finally, being good doesn’t have to be completely selfless. Part of the reason I like doing small good deeds is that it makes me feel good too. For me, the warmth that comes from making someone’s day better is a motivation to do good, and hearing a kind “thank you” makes my day.

That’s not to say that you should expect rewards or praise for doing good in the world. As I said, most people consider themselves to be generally good, and if everyone went around expecting praise for doing the smallest thing, the world would be strange indeed.

However, there’s no shame in doing good for the sake of the endorphin rush that comes from the act of kindness. You are allowed to acknowledge your own feelings in this equation.

So, do good things for people. Show kindness and empathy. Leave big tips. Stack your plates. Let someone go ahead of you in line. Do simple acts of goodness whenever you can. It doesn’t have to be every day, just when the opportunity presents itself.

Live well, be good, do good. That’s all any of us can do.

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