You may be weighing how your personal choices can affect the world politically, socially, or ecologically today, and thinking about your impact on the world might be a way for you to effect positive change. By choosing to be more conscious in your decisions, you could notice that you are able to maximize the positive effects of your thoughts and actions on others. Perhaps today you can first make a list of things you wish to do that can change the world for the better such as recycling, choosing fair trade products, or using nontoxic products and cleaners. You might then think about what other things you would like to do such as getting involved in a local grassroots organization or volunteering at a shelter. Reflecting on what you already do and then building upon that to create forward-thinking goals can help you recognize the lasting results of your decisions.

Awareness of the choices we make allows us to realistically assess the impact our decisions will have on future generations. As participants in society there is no way that our actions will not have an effect on the earth and the global community. Every decision, from the food we buy to the organizations we are involved with, influences others around us in some way. If you can set an example by your actions today -- no matter how small they may be -- you will increase the potential for others to follow suit, which will nurture a shared understanding of our shared responsibility to care for the world.