Here is a genuine post that will help you unpack all that goes into being a good person (while still staying true to yourself).
I’ve spent the last six months of my life surrounded by family members and meeting strangers because of a tricky living situation.
It’s been quite…interesting, to say the least.
For someone who prefers being in her own company, this has been an eye-opening phase of my life.
I met some really nice people, and then some that were not-so-nice.
In the beginning, I was patient while dealing with people who were inconsiderate or rude, but that quickly morphed into surprise at their behavior, followed by a period where I was just angry.
But after a few days, I went into a contemplative zone where instead of wondering ‘What is wrong with the world?’, I found myself pondering ‘What makes a person good?’.
The intent behind this reflection wasn’t to judge others; it was to understand the human mind better so that I can strive to be good.
I realized that I myself am full of faults, and rather than attempting to pick fault in others, I’d rather hold on to patience and be good myself.
Because as much as I wish I could make the whole world good with the flick of a wand, I can’t do that. There’s no such spell, not even in the world of Harry Potter.
All we can do to bring change in this world, this society, and around us is to focus on our own actions.
It’s good to aspire to be good, but what does it really mean?
Is it about grand gestures, being perfect (clear hint: no), or is it found in the small and everyday actions that shape our lives?
While there’s no definitive answer, being a good person often comes down to how we treat others, ourselves, and the world around us.
In this post, I’ll attempt to give you some clear and deep ideas on how to foster goodness in your heart so that you can spread it around you.
If you think you’re ready to change yourself and gain some clarity on how to be a good person, then read on.
10 Ways To Become A Genuinely Good Person
1. Be Kind To Yourself First
It’s easy to be hard on yourself when you mess up, but being a good person starts with treating yourself kindly.
If you treat yourself badly, is it fair to expect from your heart to find kindness for others?
You’re human, and that means you’ll make mistakes.
You need to learn how to forgive yourself and learn from your mistakes instead of berating yourself.
The next time you catch yourself thinking something negative about yourself, pause and reframe your thoughts.
You deserve good thoughts from your own self. Only then that you be genuine in your kindness to others.
2. Apologize When You’re Wrong
Nobody gets it right all the time, and that’s okay. What matters is how you handle things when you mess up.
Saying “I’m sorry” and meaning it can go a long way in mending relationships and showing that you care.
Once you realize you might have hurt someone, even if it was unintentional, it’s your responsibility to reach out and apologize sincerely.
How the other person takes your apology is up to them, but your one display of regret and apology might just heal more than you expect.
3. Give Yourself Permission To Be Imperfect
Being a good person doesn’t mean always having it together. It means doing the best you can with what you have.
Perfection is an impossible standard, and chasing it only leads to frustration.
It’s okay to fall short and to do things half-assed at times.
You don’t have to be the perfect daughter, the perfect mother, or a perfect human.
What you do need is permission from yourself to relax and let yourself be.
When you allow yourself to go with the flow instead of trying to command things, you’ll find it easier to let the good parts of you shine.
Lack of pressure can do wonders for your relationship with yourself and with others.
4. Show Up for People in Small Ways
As we’ve already established in the last point, you don’t need to move mountains to be a good person to others.
We talk about being consistent in our career goals and healthy habits, right?
Similarly, consistency in relationships counts too, even if it’s in small ways.
Little actions can sometimes mean the most — things like a quick check-in text, a compliment, or just being there when someone needs to talk.
To get started with this, here’s a little exercise for you:
Think of one person who might need a little support today.
Send them a message, give them a call, or just ask how they’re doing.
You never know how much it could mean to them.
5. Don’t Be Rude In The Name Of Being Honest
Honesty is important, but it’s equally important to be mindful of how you deliver the truth.
Being brutally honest without considering someone’s feelings can do more harm than good.
It is very much possible to be both truthful and kind.
We just forget to prioritize kindness in the face of honesty, and that is not a sign of goodness.
Even the most bitter truths can be turned gentle when said in the right way, and even the simplest truths can sometimes cause deep pain if delivered in the wrong tone.
Before you set out to be honest, think about how your words might impact the other person, and try to express yourself in a way that’s true but also kind.
It’s not just what you say that matters, but how you say it matters too.
6. Share Your Joy
Do you ever find yourself treating happiness as a finite thing?
As if there’s only a certain amount of it in your life and it isn’t possible to feel it always?
This scarcity mindset regarding joy is the reason why so many people in the world are unhappy.
All the positive emotions in life increase when they are shared and celebrated.
It’s fun to enjoy your lunch in quiet, but sharing it with a colleague or a friend is a happiness of another kind.
There are different flavors of joy; letting people in on your happiness is like experiencing it in different flavors.
So, if you have things that can be shared, like books, cookies, funny stories, or just a positive vibe, then share it with people.
It’s really uplifting watching others smile huge when you share your good stuff with them.
There is infinite happiness in this world. Don’t let a feeling of lack stop you from sharing your joy with others. What you give always comes back to you!
7. Accept Others As They Are
Being a good person means accepting people for who they are, without trying to change them.
This doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything they do, but it does mean respecting their right to be themselves.
We all have quirks, flaws, and differences.
You should celebrate people’s unique qualities, and the ones you don’t understand or agree with should be let be.
You always have the option to not stay in contact with those whose lifestyle or choices you don’t agree with.
But the people who are in your life should feel valued and understood.
When they enter your space, there should be acceptance from your end instead of judgment.
Nobody should ever be made to feel small in your presence because they won’t ever forget that feeling.
The next time you feel frustrated with someone’s behavior, take a step back and try to see things from their perspective.
Ask yourself if you’re being fair, and work on accepting them as they are. It really helps, trust me.
8. Reflect On Your Bad Behavior
We all have moments we’re not proud of, times when we were rude, angry, or acted against our own morals or virtues.
We know when we act badly, yet we don’t do much to ensure that we don’t repeat these mistakes.
Instead of ignoring your bad moments, take time to reflect on them.
Start by calling yourself out on your extreme episodes and reactions.
Reflect on them once you’re calm, journal it down if you must, and ask yourself what you could do differently next time.
Whenever I do this, I find it really easy to avoid repeating my behavior mistakes.
You can later start applying this process to your small bursts of anger and resentment too.
I know that all of this might seem like doing too much, but unless you put some work into it, how are you going to improve as a person?
I hope you’ll seriously consider doing more reflections on your behavior going forward.
9. Help Without Expecting Anything In Return
Whenever I hear a voice in my head that tells me ‘But I did so much for this person, and I got nothing in return,’ I can’t help but associate it with evil.
When we offer to help someone, does it always have to come with strings attached?
If you are not sure whether you can get something out of helping someone, would you refuse to help?
If every person helped another person only for their own good, then nobody in this world would be good.
A good heart doesn’t care about getting something in return before offering help to someone.
This doesn’t mean going out of your way or messing up your priorities to help others.
It just means when it’s in your power to help, you do it without expecting things in return.
Even if the other person ends up not returning the favor in the future or being unkind to you, then that’s on them.
Don’t ever regret helping someone or being good to them.
Help because you want to and because it feels good, then move on.
Even if your good deed isn’t returned through the same person who you helped, it will come back through some other path.
That’s just the way karma works!
10. Lead With Love
It’s very easy to let anger, grief, overthinking, and pain cloud your actions.
We are so busy focusing on these surface emotions that we often forget our deepest tendency — the tendency to love.
At our core, we thirst for love and also have a lot of love to give in return.
But we don’t give enough value to this need and ability that we have.
The day you start leading by love, you’ll find yourself conquering all petty emotions, both yours and others.
At the core of being a good person is love—love for yourself, others, and the world around you.
Love drives compassion, understanding, and a desire to make the world a better place.
When you fill yourself with love, you spread positivity effortlessly.
This is hands-down the most important advice I could give you in this post.
“Love is within us. It cannot be destroyed. It can be ignored. To the extent that we abandon love we will feel it has abandoned us.
Denying love is our only problem, and embracing it is the only answer.
Through the power of love, we can let go of past history and begin again.
Love heals, forgives, and makes whole.”-Ernest Holmes
There Is Goodness In All Of Us
I truly believe in my heart that there is goodness in all of us.
Some of us grow in environments that foster this goodness, other times it ends up getting suppressed because of the negativities in the world.
But as an adult, it’s up to you to decide what kind of person you want to be.
It’s very easy to give excuses and justify your missteps, but it takes courage to own up to your bad thoughts and actions and actually do something to be good.
I want to declare it openly that I want to be a good person.
I want to be better, happier, and make others happy as well.
If while reading this post, you felt some resonance to be the same, then I hope you’ll take this need more seriously.
Let’s be good together. 😄
Read next: 11 Authentic Ways To Be A More Fun Person To Be Around
Did the post make you think? I’d love to know your thoughts! Drop a comment down below to start a chat with me. Thank you so much for your precious time.
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