With so much negativity in the world, it’s never been more important to make sure you’re putting some good into it. Thankfully, being a genuinely good person doesn’t have to be hard. It all comes down to embracing some simple habits and behaviors that make your life — and the lives of everyone around you — a better place.
1. Do a whole lot of listening.
Active listening is more than just hearing what someone is saying — it involves fully engaging in the conversation, understanding, and responding in a thoughtful and considerate way. This simple practice can make people feel valued and heard and will enhance your relationships. By focusing your attention on the person who’s talking, you not only validate their viewpoints but also welcome a deeper connection.
2. Cultivate your emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence involves recognizing and managing your emotions, as well as understanding other people’s. By upping your EQ, you can respond to situations and people in a more balanced, empathetic way. This heightened awareness can improve your interpersonal relationships, making you more approachable and relatable.
3. Be respectful even when you’re online.
Being respectful and considerate should extend to the internet, too. This includes respecting privacy, avoiding cyberbullying, and being mindful of the content you share and how it may affect other people. By making sure your digital footprint is a positive one, you can contribute to a healthier online community and set a good example for digital behavior. Sure, there will always be trolls, but you shouldn’t be one of them.
4. Advocate for people who can’t advocate for themselves.
Using your voice to stand up for those who can’t use their own can make a significant difference. Whether it’s speaking up for a coworker or advocating for social justice, the things you do and say can help to create a fairer, more equitable world. By standing up for other people, you demonstrate empathy and courage, both of which are highly respectable traits. If you have a platform of any kind, use it it do some good.
5. Focus on continuing to learn new things.
Continuously pursuing new information and experiences can broaden your perspectives and help you grow as a person, Psych Central points out. This hunger for knowledge and learning can also inspire other people to pursue their own educational journeys. A never-ending curiosity will help you adapt to new situations and understand all different viewpoints, which will make you more rounded as a person.
6. Practice eco-friendliness.
Being a good person isn’t just about your relationship with other people, but also your relationship with the environment. By adopting eco-friendly habits like recycling, conserving water, and reducing waste, you can contribute to the well-being of the planet (and Mother Earth desperately needs that right now). Climate change can’t be solved by one person, but by working together, we can all make a difference.
7. Support your local businesses.
By choosing to shop local, you’re directly supporting your community and contributing to its economic growth. This simple switch can make a massive impact in your area and it also helps to foster a sense of community. By supporting local businesses, you’re investing in your neighborhood, promoting local job growth, and contributing to local causes. It’s a win-win!
8. Keep an eye on your mental health.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, taking care of your mental health can indirectly make you a better person. When you’re in a good mental place, you’re more likely to treat the people around you with kindness and understanding rather than indifference or rage. Prioritizing your mental health also helps to continue to break down stigmas and promote a healthier community as a whole.
9. Be mindful of your body language.
Your body language can communicate a lot about your feelings and attitudes. By being aware of how you hold and express yourself and making sure it aligns with your words, you can ensure that you’re sending the right message to other people. Positive body language can make people feel more comfortable around you and make communication a lot smoother.
10. Actually engage with the people around you.
Whether you’re giving a presentation, writing a blog post, or attending a dinner party, engaging with the people around you can make your content more impactful. This could involve using humor, telling stories, varying the pace of delivery, or using rhetorical questions and pauses for effect. By connecting with people on a deeper level, you can make your message more memorable and influential.
11. Show appreciation for the effort people put into things.
Recognizing and appreciating other people can make you a more likable person and a more positive one, per Happify. Whether it’s a coworker who’s done a great job on a project or a friend who’s always there for you, showing your appreciation can only strengthen your relationships. It can also boost morale, increase positivity, and encourage more of the same behavior.
12. Learn to release negative emotions in healthy ways.
Holding onto grudges can harm your relationships and your own mental well-being. By practicing forgiveness, you can release these negative emotions and enjoy more positive relationships. This act of letting go not only benefits your mental health but also opens up space for healthier interactions with people, from friends and family to colleagues and everyone in between.
13. Care for animals.
Respecting and caring for animals can make you a more compassionate and empathetic person. Whether it’s adopting a rescue pet, volunteering at an animal shelter, or advocating for animal rights, these actions can all contribute to your personal growth. These innocent little creatures not only rely on us for love and care, but they give so much back.
14. Let go of judgment.
As tempting as it is to form opinions or ideas about someone based on the limited information you have, one easy way to be a good person is to let go of this habit. Being judgmental doesn’t do anything but hold you back from truly getting to know and understand people. No one is perfect, and judging someone says more about you than them. Offer a bit of grace — you (and your relationships) will be much happier if you do.
