9 Tiny Ways To Be A Better Human

There are always countless tiny ways to be a better human, and we all deserve to be the best versions of ourselves.

#1 | Practice Intentional Kindness Daily

The first way to be a better human that I want to discuss is by simply being kind. This sounds like a no-brainer, but how often do you actually noticing yourself going out of your way to do nice things for others?

It’s one thing to be a kind person, but quite another to practice intentional kindness on the daily. What do I mean by ”intentional kindness”? Really, all I’m talking about is making a point of doing kind things daily.

Implementing this into your life is simple: challenge yourself to do at least one kind thing for someone else each day. It can be as small as giving a thoughtful compliment, or as large as giving someone the money to start up their dream business. Whatever you can do, do it!

As you start to make this a habit, you’ll notice that eventually you start doing random, kind things automatically. By being a nice person, you feel good and the recipients of your kindness feel good. This is where the real magic happens — by starting this kind of kindness domino effect, you lift others up to do the same.

#2 | Make Giving A Habit

Another habit to add to your be-a-better-person repertoire is giving. Giving to others, giving back to the Earth, giving to charity — just giving.

So many of us were raised in a culture of “take, buy, consume!” that we can sometimes forget to give back. In many parts of the world, this balance between give-and-take is so out of whack that it wreaks havoc on the environment, societies and our sense of purpose and fulfillment as individuals.

The remedy? Give back more than you take. Maybe, instead of ordering dinner in twice a week, you can re-allocate the money from one meal to charity. Or, if you have an abundance of stuff you don’t need, as most of us do, consider de-cluttering and gifting things to people who will truly get value out of them. If you are a shopping-spree type, consider if you really need what you are buying, and how shopping this way makes you feel.

Chances are, once the dopamine hit wears off you’ll feel a bit crappy and unfulfilled — this is how it was for me, anyways, when I went through a shopping-addict phase in my early teens.

Consider ways you can give back to the world, and consistently do whatever you can!

#3 | Get Educated

This one’s a whopper: be a better human by educating yourself on things that matter.

By ”things that matter”, I’m talking things that matter to you personally, politics, the climate crisis, systemic racism… all that jazz. By simply educating ourselves, we are much more equipped to make smart, informed decisions and to take action.

There are many, many ways to go about doing this. Some easy ways include:

- Reading books

- Reading/watching the news

- Watching videos/documentaries

- Listening to podcasts

- Taking courses, online or otherwise

Something for everyone, right? Do a bit of research or read the news for even ten minutes a day, and you will be well on your way to being an exponentially better human.

#4 | Commit To Taking One Baby Step Each Day

The secret to making the world a better place, being happier, and achieving personal success? Taking baby steps every day.

Whatever this looks like to you, commit to taking at least one baby step in the direction you want to go each day. Small, consistent change adds up to life-changing differences over time!

Invest a bit of money, get a reusable coffee cup so you can ditch single-use ones, write the first paragraph of that book you’ve been dying to write… just start. Start small, and keep chipping away. Eventually, you — and the world as a whole — will thank yourself for it.

#5 | Make A List Of Ideas You Can Use To Be A Better Human

Let’s be honest — sometimes we lose our motivation. Sometimes we feel blah. And that’s totally human and okay! We just need some sort of action plan for when we start to get into a funk so that we continue to make progress towards the best version of ourselves.

The easiest way to go about doing this is to make yourself a list of small things you can do to be a better human, right then and there.

Pick things that, for the most part, are easy to do but will have a large impact. An example of this is donating money to a cause online, or sending a text to check in on someone you love. Both of these things require less than five minutes, yet have the potential to be incredibly impactful.

The things that go on your list can also be self-care related, such as going for a walk or journaling. When we feel our best, we show up as our best selves in the world, so don’t underestimate the importance of doing things just for you!

#6 | Do Something Nice For Yourself Every Day

Building off of the above point, a great way to be the best you that you can be is by doing something kind for yourself every day.

It’s a very cliché thing to say nowadays, but you really can’t give your gifts to the world if your own metaphorical cup isn’t full. By taking care of yourself first, you can then move into helping others.

Implement this in your life by scheduling time (like, actually in your calendar) to do things that refill your cup daily. Spend time resting, laughing, and nourishing your body and soul. Self-care it up, and reap the rewards.

#7 | Live More Intentionally

One of the best ways to be a better human — in my opinion, anyways — is to live more intentionally.

Living intentionally encompasses the idea of, well, doing just that — being intentional with how you spend your time, money, who and what you surround yourself with. Living intentionally also includes intention in terms of awareness of how your actions impact the wider world.

By becoming more intentional in how you live your life, you can easily reduce your environmental impact, improve your daily happiness and fulfillment, and likely save tons of time and energy from focusing only on what genuinely brings value to you.

A few easy ways to start practicing intentional living are:

- Appreciate what you have, and buy less stuff.

- Buy only things that bring you lasting value and/or joy.

- Intentionally fill your days with things that make you happy.

- Become a conscious consumer and do your research.

- Remove unnecessary or draining things from your schedule. Delegate or delete!

- Cultivate meaningful relationships

- Live in alignment with your values, always.

You can even turn these bullet points into journaling or reflection exercises! Try spending a bit of time reflecting on what your values are, what you need, what you can minimize, and what you can get rid of in order to live as intentionally as possible.

#8 | Share Your Gifts With The World

There is no denying it: you are wildly awesome and have a plethora of gifts to bestow upon the rest of the world.

Let your light shine! The world needs your ideas, expertise, humor; art. Find ways to share your gifts with the world, and I promise you that you will instantly feel more in flow; more purposeful.

When we do what we are naturally good at and drawn to, others can’t help but be attracted to that energy. And when others are drawn to your unique and wonderful energy, you can share your light with them. They can then go on to share that light with others, and so on and so on… it’s a ripple effect that can make a wildly big impact, or, you know, none at all if you choose to keep your gifts hidden. Which one it will be is entirely up to you.

#9 | Lead By Example

The last tidbit I want to touch on here is leading by example.

So many of us want to change the behavior of others (myself included from time to time), but the truth is that we can’t control what other people do. We can, however, be trailblazers. We can embody the change we want to see in the world and show others that it really isn’t hard.

If we can be courageous enough to set an example for others, we can begin to inspire them to act similarly. Have open conversations about why you do the things you do (without getting too preachy) and encourage your friends and family to make positive change, while being a living, breathing example.

With all that out of the way, what are we waiting for? Let’s be the best humans we can be.

If you found this post helpful or have other advice on ways to grow and be a better human, you might also enjoy the content on my blog. I'd love to see you there so that we can hang out and all become the best versions of ourselves. In the meantime, have an incredible day!

Wishing you so much joy and light,

Emma