Giving back

When I started to earn money with my first job, I was just as eager to see the first paycheck come in just like any other person as well. I suppose that's normal for young people who move out of their parent's place and want to become independent. Back then, I moved into a different city, and at first, it wasn't that much money, but I somehow managed to pay a tiny flat and getting by.

I was far away from reaching any goals. If I am honest to myself, maybe I didn't even have any goals set up back then. So work, work, work, and learn, learn, learn, and somehow make it till the end of the month. Sounds familiar? Maybe yes, maybe no. There are as many paths as there are people on the planet.

The first paycheck

Naturally, the end of the month eventually arrived, and I was paid. Coincidentally I was seeing the confirmation of that payment hitting me just at the same moment as there was an ad running on the TV. The advertisement clip was about children in developing countries and how hard it can be for them to grow up. So, in a nutshell, they were pulling some emotional triggers to make you subscribe and pay a monthly donation to support various projects.

I thought to myself, "what the h***. If I get some money, I will be giving back some of it". Even the smallest monthly payment sum was still heavy on my budget at that time, but I was convinced that I had to do this. I would be a sponsor to at least one person in this world and help to make a difference, even if I needed to save money on some other ends to achieve that. And that's what I did.

I am still paying every month since that time. I never stopped. I feel confident that each person who earns money should give back a fraction of it to others who need it. In best cases, use it to support the development of villages, towns, and whole regions for sustainable improvement. Providing for food is essential, but better is to provide for farming. Providing for a book is important, but making sure there are schools and proper education, even more so. Doing so always motivated me to keep working hard, because there are people out there who rely on it more than I do, in a good way, not in a stressful kind.

Every sum can be divided into fractions

If we all did that, with just a fraction of what we earn. I think we could help to develop a region at a time and make sure the changes are implemented for good and not just for a short time. Making a positive impact on not just an individual who got lucky, but a whole village, later, town, then city, later nation, and maybe all over the world.

Now, I will not leave you with a link to a specific organization to make you pay some money too, just because I said so or because you feel guilty. I don't want you to feel bad. I want you to feel good. If you maybe think this is a good idea, I challenge you to go out there and find good organizations to work with and make a sustainable change. Help the development with as little or as much as you can. This does not have to be money, if you want to share your knowledge, or even offer your labor, that's fine. I am sure there are ways for you to make an impact in this world for the better.

Thank you for reading. You are invited to comment under this post, add information, guide others, or share the article with others if you want to.

Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Yannis H.