Simple Ways We Can Do Our Part and Change the World

Buddha Groove’s Guru Series brings insight from experts across the fields of mindfulness, natural wellness, yoga, and meditation. Below we have wisdom from personal life coach and Reiki Master Teacher, Heather O’Neill.

When we look at the state of our world these days it can be easy to look through the eyes of despair. 

It can be easy to notice all of the things that are “wrong” and feel rather helpless when we wonder how our small little selves could ever do enough to move such enormous mountains. 

But the reality is that collectively, small steps and consciously moving our energy towards a common goal (a better world), canactually move mountains. 

Here are some things we can do in our everyday life that can have great impact.

Be Mindful of Our Own Energetic Vibration

The cause of the state of the world is the people who are here on this earth creating it. We are all creators. We, as individuals, create via our energy. 

Everything is energy. And our energy literally emanates from our physical body out into the world. It carries a frequency. It can vibrate at a high level or it can vibrate at a low level. Now it is not suggested that everyone should be happy, happy, joy, joy at all times or that we should not feel and acknowledge our feelings. But we canbe mindful of simply knowing how we feel versus the complete immersion of our state of being to whatever emotions we are feeling. 

If we are having a bad day sure we may need to vent. We can do it once (even twice if need be) and then let it go. We can choose not to keep our focus and words on the negative. We can be mindful that we are sharing our energy with others. If you are an empath you know just how uncomfortable it can be to be around someone in a bad mood or spewing negativity. 

We can notice when we are making ourselves a victim by defining ourselves by the bad feelings we are experiencing. And we can then make conscious choices about where our energy is vibrating and whether or not we want to try and shift it. To go out and vomit negative rhetoric or cloak other people in our own bad moods is a choice. 

As is sharing wins, compliments, good news, happy stories and laughter!

The Gift of Listening

 Much of the time when we converse with others, we are not truly engaging in active listening. We hear part of what the other person says until it sparks something in our own minds that we want to respond with. Then we sit there with our focus on what we want to say, anxiously awaiting a pause in the conversation so we can take our turn to speak.

One of the best gifts we can receive in life is truly being heard. 

Someone listening with an open mind and heart and without judgment is incredibly fulfilling, freeing and validating. And while it definitely takes practice to be a good listener, it’s a task well worth undertaking. For as we give, so we receive. And when people walk around feeling heard, there is a lot less anger and misery floating around. 

It’s not our place to judge, comment on, condemn or make right or wrong what someone else says. It’s one thing if we are specifically being asked for advice and input. It’s another to just give someone our open, undivided attention while they speak to us. It’s absolutely priceless. And it can be done on a daily basis!

Lifting People Up Through Non-Judgment and Support

It is very easy to get annoyed with other people. It’s very easy to judge others’ actions as stupid. 

And we tend to assume that when people treat us poorly that it’s about us. We as a culture take everything very personally. 

But the truth of the matter is that the way people treat us is a direct reflection of what is going on inside of them. It usually has nothing to do with us. 

Most of the time when people get angry with us, something we have done has actually just triggered their own pain-body response from a happening in their past. Not everyone is aware of their patterns, triggers or truly why they are feeling what they are feeling when they get upset with something. We all do this sometimes.

So we can choose to respond to people with compassion, knowing that we actually have little to no idea of the battles they are fighting with themselves in their own head. Most of us are extremely hard on ourselves and some even convince themselves that they are not worthy or enough for other people. They then look to others for that validation. And if it is not forthcoming in some expected way, people get angry at one another. When really, again, the emotional reaction is due to battles being fought within. 

We can let people know that none of us are perfect and that that is not even an attainable goal. We can offer support instead of judgment when people make mistakes as we ALL make them (often). And we can all learn from ours and others’ mistakes. 

Strive for the vibration of Love

There have been studies done on the way plants are treated. Those showered with love thrived. The same can be said for people. Imagine if, even though we might be angry with someone, we still held our hearts open in a space of love?

 That does not mean that we have to be around someone we are angry with if we need space. But we can STILL practice the overall vibration of love. Seem too difficult? Start with baby steps. Simply begin your day with the intention of thinking, speaking and acting from a place of love. 

And we can remind ourselves when we are angry at loved ones that we are, in fact, dealing with someone we love. We can still speak our truth to anyone at any time, but when we choose our words from a place of love, it becomes a much more comfortable, growth-filled experience. 

We can treat anyone from that place, even if we don’t know them. We can simply choose to BE love.

These are all things that we can allow to steep into our daily M.O. These are practices we can be mindful of, and set intentions for, to benefit the highest good of all. All it takes sometimes is just 1 person to care to help us make a change in our day. 

And then we change our own direction and vibration. And then we pass that along to others. 

The ripple effect is real. We are all connected in that way. So when we become concerned over the state of the world, we can break it down to the person to person level, and know that we hold the capability in our hands of making great change!