What's the best way to make a positive impact?

To treat others kindly would be a good place to start :)

Lead by example. Treat others the way you would want to be treated and add a little more to sweeten the pot.

In my police assignments, i was often placed in a project area. i did not mind working in the projects as there are some really good people living there. these really good people have children by unknown biological fathers. in other words, these children have no dad to look up to. i loved this part of my job. i usually carried toys and stuffed animals in the trunk of my police car. the children knew that when they spotted my car, that a gift was coming for them. this was not my only concern. to these children, a man in a police uniform is their hero, their mentor, their missing dad. its really difficult to be a make-believe father to some of these children. you can become attached to them really quick and its hard to let go, even for me. i regret retiring for just that reason. i looked as forward to seeing and holding these children as they did me. i miss them.

Random acts of kindness. Just try to make it better in your own little corner. You can impact more lives than you realize.

@Trillian Random acts of kindness are the best! I love doing it and love when I see it happen even more!

Jump from a higher floor or a taller bridge.

If you do positive things, people will notice, even if they don’t point it out.

Makes sure you take care of those you love and those who love you. Treat others as you wish to be treated. Lend a hand when you can. Don’t assume others will act. Don’t complain if you can do something about it. Lead by example. Maintain a strong sense of wonder. Always, always, always ask questions. And most importantly, be happy.

That last one might not seem like a lot but it can make a difference to everyone you meet.

@Cruiser Thank you. Always avail yourself of any opportunity. I’ve taught my kids that and some of my proudest moments as a parent has been seeing them put it into practice.

I agree with random acts of kindness, and the philosphy of pay it forward. Golden Rule is big for me, I find there is a lack of it in society today. People seem to fail to think of others, oblivious to people around them, that really bother me, be aware of your surroundings, who you might be disturbing or harming.

The OP left the question really wide open, it seem we could discuss living greener, poverty, war, all of which would be nice to solve.

@Trillian Amen to that! And one of the dividends of putting my boys in the scouting program as they get lots of opportunities to experience just that and has carried over into their everyday lives.

I couldn’t agree more! Random acts of kindess require little effort, and you get a lot of bang for your “buck”. My daughters are taught this with intensity. They are raised to understand that, everyewhere they go, they influence other people. I give them the analogy of throwing a rock into a pond. The impact makes wave after wave of concentric circles. It is precisely the same when interacting with others. Whether those waves their actions create are positive or negative, is complete up to them.

As it happens, I take the “pay it forward” mentality quite seriously. I’ve seen with crystal clarity the effect on people that negativity brings. A hell of a lot of people have done a hell of a lot of nice things for me over the years. For reasons that are unclear to me, it is impertive to me that I pay those efforts forward.

I can’t influence people by arguments; I lack the skills or the desire to be around others. I live my life so as to minimize harm to others and the environment, my impact being by example (not that I really want others to notice me).

Make yourself into the best “you” you can be: always be kind to others, remembering that they are fighting their own sorts of battles; learn to love all living things, and do what you can to care for and nurture them; remember that children are our future and do your best to help them grow into caring, responsible adults; teach or lead by example; convert others to a kinder way of life by your example rather than your words; seek to live simply, making as little impact on the environment as possilbe. Do these things and you will definitely make a very positive impact.

Treat people how you would like to be treated is my moto!!

The simplest quality to have is manners…and you won’t go far wrong. Lack of manners is one of my pet hates.

I have a naturally friendly appoach and often when I was younger used to take it personally when somebody didn’t reciprocate my friendliness. Now I just get on with it and wherever I am I’m confident enough to stike up a conversation and hope that I have made somebody’s day brighter because I have took the time to stop and talk.

As a result I am lucky that I have quite a few friends in and out of my work circles…or maybe they just feel sorry for me lol :)

@JLeslie yeah, that is actually what I was asking about. However, it seems the forums has taken me in a different direction, and its been a fruitful one, so all hail the randomness of people! (Anyway, I’ll post again later asking about that question and making it more obvious).

Everyone else: Please don’t take that to mean I don’t appreciate your answers. Great advice and thinks to keep in mind.

@john65pennington Your’re story is really inspiring. Its great to hear about people who really go the extra mile to help out.

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