Many of us today do not realize how well we get to live compared to others. Everything, from a simple family dinner to having the opportunity to receive an education, is taken for granted. There are hundreds of thousands of people out in the world who live poorly and struggle just to survive. While we stress over who likes our Instagram posts, there are people who work day and night just to get food on the table. Keeping that in mind, I encourage all of you to take a step forward and bring even the slightest bit of change to this world. I started donating and spreading the word about helping people this past Christmas. A group of friends and I bought presents for kids who could not afford them. We also donated money while getting a couple of friends to do something similar and donate themselves.

Donations like these may not seem like much, but it all adds up when groups of people do the same thing with the positive intention in mind. When I posted about what I was doing, a few other kids jumped on to do the same. I posted a picture on Instagram where the amount I donated depended on the number of likes I got on the post. This way, people could interact with me and possibly be inspired to do (which, in fact, it did with five other kids hopping on the train). In total, the likes brought me to a donation amount of $142. I posted a proof of donation once this was over and many people even messaged me saying they were inspired to do something similar in the near future.

With that in mind, you can be your own inspiration and bring others along the way, too. Helping people out will not just benefit them, but it also help YOU on a mental and emotional level. Giving doesn't have to be through donations, but any way you do it that helps people around you is what counts. Take your step forward and help people out this new year, and it will definitely make you happier to be a bright spot in someone's life.