We all want the best for ourselves and those we love, our friends, family and maybe even our colleagues and co-workers. But what about everyone else? What about the nature around us? When asked how the world could be a better place, many will cite world peace, the end of racism and homophobia. Whilst these are all gallant and noble ideas, they can’t be changed overnight, nor can they be changed by one person.

So how can we make the world a better place? Is there anything we can do ourselves in our day-to-day lives? There’s less grand gestures we can make than delegating treaties and becoming world leaders. As the saying goes – “it’s the little things that matter” and they certainly do add up over time. Here’s some ideas of how to make the world a better place in your own special way:

• Tip – tip people, in the UK tipping isn’t done all that much as service charges are often included in prices. However we tip taxi drivers and hairdressers. What about your dog groomer, local café worker or babysitter? They all work hard too so try and tip those you don’t normally tip. It doesn’t have to be with money either, bake cakes or write out a nice card with a voucher.

•  Contact someone out of the blue – send a text, letter, email, phone them! If you have a good connection but haven’t spoken for ages then getting in touch can make that person very happy and can create some positive situations for yourself as well.

• Volunteer – this is a common one but also one that really boost you and the people around you. Contact charities, see if there’s anything you can devote your time to, and even pick up litter from your own street. It will make you feel good, make other people feel good and send out positive vibrations for miles.

• Compliment people – it doesn’t have to be about their looks, it can be about something they have done, said or made. Be honest and let them know what you think, tell them how their skills are valued and how you’d like to see more of them.

• Teach others – do you have a skill that others would love to have? Why not teach it to someone else. Imagine if you did that, then that person teaches 2 more, then they both teach 3 others each. By the end of the year your small action will have caused a small army of people to have gained a great new skill!

• Donate/Gift – many of us have too many “things” in our homes, items that sit in cupboards that never see the light of day. Many of us just leave things lying around, complaining how we have no room or how the spare room is full. Well clear it out, if you donate 20 things that’s you changing the life of at least 20 different people!

• Give people a chance – this is especially important if you have people under you at work or have children. Sometimes you will find yourself in positions where you feel the need to take over and do a task yourself. Why not take a step back and let your co-worker or child surprise you with what they can do. They may get it wrong but giving them a chance will help them to learn and grow.

• Respect the planet – research how you can help the environment. Whether this means going vegan or getting the bus instead of using the car to get to work, it will all add up. Extend this to trying to buy ethically sourced products and those that don’t test on animals.

This list may seem long but they’re all little things you can do during the course of the week and by doing them will you create a positive situation in your mind which then reaches out to other people. When you take these steps, others will follow, then comes a chain reaction of positive energy, thoughts and emotions flowing between vast numbers of people.