2017: What Can I Do To Make a Difference?

As years go, 2016 will be one to remember both on a global and personal level. If we're talking personal experiences, it was well below par when competing with 2015 and globally...well, as most people would agree we're all in a lot of trouble right now and it's going to take some serious work to get us back on an even keel. I'm not going to write out an itemised list because that will depress me writing it and you reading it, but I'm sure you know the kind of things I'm talking about. 

I made a handful of resolutions last January and somehow managed to stick to them, through sheer willpower and grit, which means that 2017 should be no different. In 2016, my general goal was to better myself through new experiences, physical and mental self-care, and pushing my own boundaries. In 2017 I want to continue expanding on those, but also give more back to the world since we're living in such sad and dangerous times. 

It's a fact: our world is changing. And among many, many other things, apathy is a slow but sure killer. Not caring enough. Shrugging and saying 'yeah, but what can I do about that?' Well, it all depends on what 'that' is but if, like me, you believe that one person can make a difference no matter how small, how much does the definition of 'that' really matter? It's all too easy to sit behind a screen and wax poetic about how sad the world is and what we think and feel, and Tweet about what we should be doing to help. We all do it. I do it, and I know most of you do it too. And perhaps, as said in many a rant by various YouTube stars, it was that 'all talk no action' approach that caused a lot of the chaos we saw in 2016. I'm not going to get into a political rant about things that should have happened in 2016 and didn't, or vice versa, (not on this post anyway) but I think a lot of us learned the hard and fast way that the only way to stand up for what we believe in is to actually stand up and do something about it. No matter how small. 

It's easy to get distracted and saddened by the things going on in the world around us if you take more than a casual glance, but instead of sinking into a pit of 'how did this happen' depression, that energy can be used to do positive things, both for yourself and for other people. Channel that energy into positivity, into action, into inspiring yourself and those around you!

So before I go off on an even more elaborate tangent, here's my brief list of small things for 2017 that I feel will make a difference to my life and the lives of others around me:

️Donate whenever and whenever possible ️Shop small, eat local, support your communities ️Speak out more about causes that matter to you, and do more to support them ️Chase new experiences, whether that's taking up a new hobby or sport, or seeing the world ️Meditate and take time out to gather your thoughts and centre yourself

️Do one thing every day that you find difficult

️Recycle, buy less, reuse when possible, and create less waste

And here are a couple of more refined goals I've set for myself this year that I can 'tick off':

Finish my first half marathon and sign up for something bigger Write every day, even if it's only a hundred words

Read every day, and read 65 books in a year

Volunteer, and use my time better

Live a more ethical, balanced, thought-out life

...and don't forget about my blog!

(Image found on Tumblr, someone link me to the artist if you know!)