How to Give Back More than You Take

We all share this planet we call Earth, why not be good humans while we're at it? It's so important to take care of the planet and each other, and that is precisely what we are going to cover in this post. Here, we'll be chatting about how to give back more than you take from the world.

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Consider What You Actually Need in Life

Firstly, let’s discuss the matter of our true needs in life. In order to learn how to give back more than you take in life, we must first know what we are taking (and what, of those things, we really need to be taking).

What I mean by this is that most of us buy and use way more than we actually need in life. This, then, leads to an imbalance in what we are taking versus giving back to the world. Our society is one which perpetuates needless consumerism, and most of us have fallen victim to the “more, more, more” mindset at some point.

So, to start with the basics, let’s assess what we really need in life. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs outlines this nicely — we need to meet our physiological and psychological needs, which include food, water, safety, love, self-esteem, et cetera. After we have satisfied each category to a basic degree, we don’t need any more. This is where the imbalance starts to creep in — our needs are met, but we constantly buy more clothes, bigger houses, newer cars. This sort of consumerism fuels demand for unsustainable materials and methods of production, such as fossil fuels in the case of cars, homes and even clothes (which are often made of synthetic materials like polyester, which are hydrocarbon derivatives) and the whole notion of fast fashion that has emerged recently.

This is where it becomes important to learn how to give back more than you take in life.

Let’s Reflect:

Are your physiological needs met? (Food, water, shelter, clothing, air, sleep)

Are your psychological needs met? (safety, security, employment and resources, self-esteem, social connection, freedom)

If yes to any of the above categories, are you taking more than you need? This is really only relevant to physical things which require resources to produce — we can improve our impact on the planet significantly by adjusting our consumer habits. On the other hand, you can never have too many friends or too much safety!

If you answered no to any of the above categories of needs, how can you begin to meet them? This is especially relevant to our psychological needs.

Donate (Your Money, Time or Energy) to Worthy Organizations Regularly

An item that I just had to include in this list of how to give back more than you take is donating to causes you care about. This could mean your money, your time or your energy — whatever you have to give. The important thing is to do this consistently.

Donating is so amazing because you ultimately get to support the change you want to see in the world. It allows you to feel good about giving, and allows the organization/cause/person to feel good in the receiving so that they can continue to do great work.

If you are donating money, pick an amount to donate each month. Even a dollar or two counts, and many organizations now offer ways to automate your donations each month. If you are volunteering your time and energy, try to pick a set number of hours to put in a month and be consistent. You’ll feel great giving back, and the world will be a better place because of it.

A Random Assortment of Organizations that are Worthy Causes:

Ecotrust — Their mission states “Ecotrust Canada works with rural, remote and Indigenous communities toward building an economy that provides for a healthy and resilient natural environment; sustainable and abundant energy, food, and housing; prosperous and meaningful livelihoods; and vibrant cultures and inclusive societies.”

Pure Earth — Partners with local and disadvantaged communities to reduce and clean up toxic pollution and promote a sustainable future for all.

Defenders of Wildlife — Supports wildlife conservation and habitat protection throughout the U.S.

MADRE — Works with women in communities ravaged by war or natural disaster to help create innovative solutions to the problems faced by the community.

Human Rights Watch — Works to support human rights globally and puts pressure on governments to change laws that infringe on essential human rights.

Make Kindness a Habit

The next tip we’ll chat about in learning how to give back more than you take is kindness — specifically, being kind often enough to call it a habit. Most of us are nice people, sure, but how often do we actually go out of our way to be kind or do kind things? Probably not that often.

This is simply a matter of making kindness a habit; your natural state of being. Try to challenge yourself to do one kind thing for someone each day this week. Work up to doing more kind things a day as you go! Before you know it, you’ll automatically be doing random acts of kindness and showering the world with your positive energy.

With any luck, your actions will spark a ripple effect of positivity all around you. Who knew giving back to the world could be so easy and fun?

Be Mindful of How You Impact the World

The final thing I’d like to touch on in this list of how to give back more than you take is to simply be aware of how your actions and lifestyle impact the world at large. Every action carries with it a series of consequences, and these can be either positive or negative.

I’d like to encourage you to honestly take stock of your habits, actions and lifestyle. How do those things affect the planet, the people around you and our animal friends? Doing a bit of research using the internet will be a great starting point. Consider shifting some habits to be more eco-friendly, more ethical; more supportive of others. This is all about maximizing our positive impact while minimizing the negative. If everyone carried this mindset, just imagine how much better the world could be! It all starts with you, friend.

If you found value in this post or have any ideas on how to give back more than you take, I’d love to hear from you! Be sure to connect with me on my blog, Pinterest and Instagram so that we can hang out! In the meantime, have a beautiful day. Also, don’t forget to check out some of the posts I’ve linked for you below — I want you to get as much value as possible from your visit!

Wishing you so much joy and light,

Emma

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