All The Good You Can

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. – John Wesley

There are always opportunities to help. There are always chances to do good. No matter what the situation, you can make it a little better, if by nothing else than by not complaining unnecessarily. Your attitude can make a slight difference, even if nothing else you say or do does.

Think about all the kind words that were ever said to you, every time someone held the door open for you even though they didn’t need to, every time someone said “Have a nice day” and sounded sincere. Did these times make your day just a little better? Perhaps even your life, in the case of words that were inspiring as well as kind? What if the person had done the opposite? Said something mean, let the door slam in your face, not even bothered to say good bye? Would these things have made your life a little worse?

The ripple effect of a person’s actions has been said so often that it’s in danger of becoming a cliché. However, clichés are also often true. What you do can have consequences you don’t know. You may never know. And it is precisely because you can never know what effect your actions will have that you must do the good you can. You don’t know what’ll happen when you do that good thing, so you do it just in case.

The cynics among you are wondering, “What about all the times that you do a good thing and it backfires on you?” How often does that happen? Really? Every time you do a good thing? Even half the time? If it isn’t every time, then why not do the good you can for those times when it actually does good? Also, check out those times when it does backfire. Why does it backfire? When does it backfire? Is it when you think you know what’s best for someone else? Is it when you don’t ask permission to do something that alters another’s life? Is it when you barge into someone else’s business when what they really want is some privacy? Sometimes, with some people, you need to be cautious that what you do is really good. But not every time, and not with every person.

Do the good you can, because it will ripple into the Future, making it better.