So lately, some weird stuff has been going on in the world. Maybe it isn’t so much of a “lately” thing, though, as I feel as if I’ve been saying the world is going downhill for the past few years or so. Either way, things aren’t going the way I (you?) want it to, and a majority of us have been complaining about it. And complaining about it. And complaining about it. But we haven’t really done anything about it.

I’m just as guilty as the next person, but if you’re sick of complaining and want to start enacting change in our world, too, then take a look below to find a place to start:

1. Donate

Hey, we’re strapped for time, we don’t always have the ability to volunteer or go out and change the world. That’s okay, but it’s about time we did something. If you have the money and all you can do is donate to charities or campaigns, then it is up to you to do so. Sometimes, all an organization needs is the money to put their ideas in action, and it would be awesome if you could be the person who helps them out.

2. Call Your Representatives

If you live in the United States, you have representatives to call when you feel the issues that matter the most to you need to be addressed. To make it simple, I’ve attached a link to a handy-dandy website where you can put in your zip code and find your three representatives. Their office information is there, too, so you don’t even have to go searching for it! (That means no excuses. Call them weekly. Daily? Whatever you feel is best.)

Bonus if you contact your reps from home and university.

3. Become An Advocate

If you have a little more time to spare, then see if you can join an organization and become an advocate for their cause. The best part about this is that you can put in whatever skills you have towards the issue at hand. Do you love to write? Write articles about what the organization does and share them on social media or start a blog. Can you fundraise like nobody else? Perfect, hold monthly fundraisers at cool venues that want to help your organization so that the money can roll in. Whatever you do best, apply it to what you claim to care about most, and get to work.

4. Volunteer

For the habitual do-gooder, finding a place where you can routinely volunteer does wonders for the good of the world. Whether you are tutoring, collecting, feeding, or something else, you are actively making a difference. Yes, the time commitment is substantially more than the three options above, but when something matters, you put effort into it.

5. Make A Career Out Of It

If the state of the environment or civil rights is your thing, consider making it a career. Go to school to study climate change, human rights, public health, whatever you want! When your job is making the world a better place, I bet the smile you put on when someone asks about your job won’t be fake.

There is a tendency for people to spend all their time complaining about an issue and planning on doing something about it without ever actually doing anything to fix the problem. Time flies faster than you think, folks, so now is the chance to take action. The world, and its people, will thank you later.