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In The Do Gooders Podcast, Caring editor Christin Thieme and guests explore the idea of doing good, and how we can make a difference in both personal and collective issues. From being more joyful to contributing to the goal of doubling our impact on homelessness, the tangible ways in which we can add goodness to the world are near endless—even with a full schedule.
Here’s a list of ways you can do good, based on tips from previous podcast guests.
1. Smile
“Do good by opening your eyes to the world around you…acknowledging somebody, saying a kind word…a smile. I think that’s a starting place.” – The Salvation Army National Commander Commissioner Dave Hudson, Episode 1
2. Joyspot
“[Go] out with an eye toward noticing what is going on in your surroundings… Many of us are familiar with the basic ideas around mindfulness. It’s about tuning into your senses and tuning into what’s going on around you and inside you. This is really just a very positive focused and externally focused form of mindfulness… You’re just going out and noticing something that feels joyful for you…It might be a little spot of color and it might be a little flower growing up through a crack in the sidewalk…It’s just really opening your eyes to the world around you.” – Ingrid Fetell Lee, Episode 2
3. Acknowledge people
“[Be] open first and foremost, in your own relationship with God. He might lead you to overcome any reservations, any fears, any barriers that you might otherwise feel between yourself and the next homeless person you see, because you’re going to see them if you haven’t already. [Don’t] be so quick to judge them. One of the worst experiences I had being homeless was having people look at how I looked on the outside, which wasn’t very attractive, and as a result, judge me as being less than a human being, as being someone not worthy of their time or their consideration, let alone their kindness. But I can tell you, having experienced that, when someone was kind, when someone did take the time to just acknowledge me as they’d acknowledge another person they were passing on the street, they might feel more comfortable.” – Chris Christian, Episode 3
4. Be a role model
“Focus on other kids in your community. That’s what being a moral person is. If you’re a parent at a school, it’s not just about your kid. It’s about every kid in that community. And if you want your kid to be a good community member and citizen that’s what you have to model for them. We worry about every kid in this school… Model the many things you can do to strengthen your community.” – Dr. Rick Weissbourd, Episode 5
5. Take action
“If they want to get involved to The Way Out, they simply call or walk down to their local Salvation Army. There will be a Salvation Army officer, there will be staff there, who I guarantee is going to have opportunities for service, as limited or as extensive as any individual might like. It might be at the frontline, it might be in support. It might be as simple as sorting clothes or it might be a matter of helping prepare food boxes or simply visiting. Anyone can do so much if they’re simply willing to do it…We need everyone to get involved.” – Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder, Episode 6
6. Teach kids a skill, like cooking
“You do better with confidence…[Cooking is] a life skill we need to teach our kids. Not to make them into a chef, but so that when they’re a dad or off to college or they’re helping take care of someone, they know how to do the simple basics of how to hold a knife or how to cut the produce. Get them started now so they’ll have the tools for later.” – Guy Fieri, Episode 7
7. Give back through your passions
“Find something you’re passionate about and make it a new career or make it a volunteer project. Don’t do something because it may look good on your LinkedIn profile. What is near and dear to your heart? When you find something that’s near and dear to your heart, it’s not going to feel like work.” – Jose Moreno, Episode 10
8. Get involved with community
“We believe proximity to the power will help us, but really it’s proximity to the pain. How do we live out the Gospel? Get to know people who are the “other”, the lonely, the misfit…Many people, as we see, like to avoid conflict; they just avoid people. We can live in our bubbles and not really engage with the hurting. But I don’t think that helps us and I think that denies the fact that we are a part of a system. Whether we ignore it or not, we are either causing it, or impacted by it, or around it…This world needs people that have a lens of peace.” – Monica Curca, Episode 12
Do Good:
- Subscribe to The Do Gooders Podcast with Christin Thieme to find tangible tips for simple actions you can take today to do good in your community.
