We live in a world where it is up to each and every one of us to determine the type of world we want to live in. For me, I dream of a world with forests all over, clean air to breathe, where children are safe to go learn, and where everyone has equal opportunity to achieve their dream. All of these ideas I have are examples of what some activists work to achieve.

From working to save the rain forests to working for equality, activists all work for a common goal: a better world. No matter how different two problems might be those different issues activists work to improve and fix are linked in some way or the other. But just saying you’re an activist doesn’t make you a good one.

Here are seven ways to become a better activist for your perfect world!

1. Be open minded

If you’re not opened minded then you will never be a successful activist. Has anyone ever just straight up disagreed with you without listening to your reasoning? Do you remember the frustration you felt? The first step to changing someone’s mind or to negotiating with someone is to understand their reasoning and where they’re coming from. Listen to them, give them an actual chance to explain why they believe or do what they do, and then if you still disagree, acknowledge the fact that you’ve heard them before offering your counter-argument.

And yes, listen to them no matter how ridiculous you believe their opinion to be. Not every battle is worth it, some you have to just let go. This meaning not everyone is going to be convinced by what you have to say so at least leave them with a good memory of a person supporting whatever your cause is.

2. Be patient

You’re not gonna be able to change the world in a day. Take saving the environment for example. There are hundreds and thousands of little achievements that need to be won in order to achieve your one main goal. Every single victory is one step closer to you reaching success. It all matters.

Convincing one person to recycle, convincing a school to give up Styrofoam trays, or spending an hour planting trees. You’re not gonna fix the world in one night, not even a year. Your main goal is a triathlon that’ll take several years and a lot of other like-minded people to finish.

3. Be knowledgeable

It’s easier to just say I believe this is the way the world should be. But you need more then just your opinion if you’re gonna have any luck at convincing others to join the cause. Spend some time researching the problem. And do not just research looking for facts to support your present opinion. Start from scratch. You have to approach each issue open-minded. Learn facts that support both sides of the argument. The more you understand the problem the better you’ll be able to address it. This will especially come in handy when you are in conversations with others. Instead of stating unsubstantiated facts you’ll be able to state actual information.

Plus, it’s important to make sure what you’re working for you actually agree with. Maybe you agree with the cause but not the way people are getting there. With your knowledge you can better plan successful ways to reach your goal. The bottom line is, if it matters to you then it shouldn’t be difficult to spend some time actually learning about it.

4. Know you’re not alone

There is no one person who can fix all of the world's problems. It’s easy to start feeling responsible to find the fix but don’t try to hold that weight by yourself. Find communities working towards the same goal as you. Talk to your friends and family and try to convince them to join your cause. Join the team effort! Being an activist is not about glory or fame. If that’s a reason you’re doing it then get out now because this is not a role for you.

Being an activist is about caring and believing in whatever it is your fighting to achieve. You are willing to give time and effort, however much or little of it that may be, all for nothing in return. Most importantly remember that activism is not about one person, it is about a community.

6. Always work to improve yourself

Read the advice of other activists. Research the history of activism and see what works and what doesn’t. Attend activism training programs. When I was in high school I attended an overnight camp called Youth Empowered Action that helps teach youth the tools they need to be better activists. For the first summer ever they’re hosting a camp for adults in July 2018. The camps meals are all vegan but don’t be turned off from the camp if you’re not vegan or a vegetarian.

Take it from a girl who grew up in a hunting family and with no plans on becoming vegan or a vegetarian — it really doesn’t matter. I truly enjoyed the food and just learned to stay away from the vegan foods I didn’t like such as some of the cheeses or the sour cream. The chefs their truly are amazing and create three delicious meals a day plus snacks. I’m always up to trying new things and as nervous as I was about a week of only vegan food I discovered I had nothing to stress about.

7. Admit when you are wrong

Learning to admit to your mistakes is an important part of being activist. A lot of activism is asking for someone to admit something is wrong and to change it. We see this a lot when it comes to politics or the environment. Activists ask for laws and regulations to be changed all the time. How are we supposed to ask someone in politics to admit the law they’re supporting is wrong when the activist themselves can’t even admit when they are wrong.

We must always hold ourselves to a higher standard than those we’re against. We have to be the better person. If we’re not, we have only succeeded in giving the opposing side an argument against us that has nothing to do with the problem we care so much about.

Keep the focus on what you care about and own up to your mistakes.