Countless people long to make a difference this holiday season, yet they don’t realise that opportunities to make a difference are everywhere. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Organise a blank drive

It is cold outside, but imagine how thousands of homeless people may feel without a home of their own, or even a blanket to keep them from the cold. Organise a blank drive for your local homeless, and ask around for donations!

Practise random acts of kindness

I’ll never forget the time when I went to pay for my Dr Pepper, but the server resisted, saying my bill was paid by an anonymous (匿名的) guest. It’s this random act of kindness that restores my faith in humanity. Bless someone by paying for their drink at Starbucks, or praising them! If you live somewhere where it snows, shovel your neighbour’s snow out of their driveway for them! Whether it is as simple as praise or as complex as paying the bill, you’ll never know how far your impact will reach.

Say thank you

Just a simple thank you can make somebody’s day, especially if they feel like their work is never noticed. Cultivate (培养) a smile on their face by being sincere and grateful for all that they do.

Use your talents to help the community

The best way to show your appreciation for people is by using the talents and skills you have to bless others. For me, I love to coordinate (协调) events and write, and so my way of reaching out to the community is through writing articles and creating awareness about problems we face today. If you can bake, make some delicious cookies for people to enjoy! If you can knit, put your talents to use by making clothes for children in foster care. Any talent can be used to help the community in meaningful ways.

Wish you a happy, healthy and helpful holiday season.

Many of us deal with the rush every morning in preparation for work or school, but it doesn’t have to be this way. With a little time management, these steps can help you cut down on your morning stress.

Create an evening preparation routine.

【小题1】 These simple tasks will take you less than 30 minutes to complete each evening and will save you a huge headache every morning.

Get a good night’s sleep.

Make sure you start winding down for bed at a reasonable hour to allow enough time for a healthy night’s sleep. 【小题2】 If needed, set a bedtime reminder alarm on your alarm clock. Always keep the temperature in your bedroom comfortably cool.

Wake up 30 minutes earlier.

An extra 30 minutes in the morning will make a difference. As long as you get to bed on time, waking up 30 minutes earlier should seem natural after just a few days. 【小题3】

Plan a realistic day.

Writing things down means you don’t have to worry about forgetting to do them. 【小题4】 Write down anything that cannot be put off to the following day.

【小题5】

Getting up to face a new day is far more satisfying when you have something to look forward to. Make sure you manage your time better so that you have time to do something you love on a daily basis.

When friends come to visit us in the evening, they spend their time telling us that they are in a hurry and looking at their watches. It isn’t that our friends are all very busy. It is just that we haven’t got a TV set. People think that we are very strange. ＂But what do you do in the evenings?＂ they are always asking. The answer is simple. Both my wife and I have hobbies. We certainly don’t spend our evenings staring at the walls. My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages. This is particularly useful as we always go abroad for our holidays. I collect stamps and I am always busy with my collection. Both of us enjoy listening to music and playing chess together.

Sometimes there are power cuts and we have no electricity in the house. This does not worry us. We just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before. Our friends are lost — no televisions! So they don’t know what to do. On such evenings our house is very full as they all come to us. They all have a good time. Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television, everybody talks and plays games. Yes, life is possible without television!