“Heal the world, make it a better place…”

It was a lot easier to listen to that song when we were younger, and you probably had plans to change the world after hearing MJ’s voice singing so passionately. Well, how’s that going now?

The chances are that you grew up and realised that the world was much bigger than you thought, and changing Nigeria, let alone the world, would prove itself a Herculean task. Where is the lie, though? It is not easy to change the world, but it is not so hard either. Little drops of water make a mighty ocean. Some things might seem small but can have a strong impact on the world, and knowing those things can make the difference between imagination and actualization.

Here are some little ways you can change the world:

• Stop littering:

Yes, littering is that deep. Saying you should stop littering sounds both like a no-brainer and a trivial thing at the same time. It is something that should be obvious to everyone, especially those with big dreams of effecting change, but this is seldom the case. Picking up after yourself goes a very long way towards making the environment cleaner and healthier. It all starts with an individual, and that individual can be you. Imagine for a moment that because of you, everyone stops littering and you have a cleaner city—that is a pretty big change, if you ask me. So next time you buy Gala and chilled Fanta in that danfo, keep the trash in your bag until you can properly dispose of it.

• Green for go: The greener, the better:

Another way you can change the world is to be more green-conscious. This does not mean you should go protesting and advocating for better environmental care on the streets (although you could do that). You can do that by personally reducing your carbon footprint. Simple things like reusing and recycling plastic and other non-biodegradable materials go a long way towards healing the world. There are probably people who sell cooking oils around you who would gladly take your polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles off your hands. You could also find creative ways to reuse them yourself.

Another ‘little’ way to think greener is by reducing your use of polythene bags. Getting a paper bag you could use for grocery shopping or reusing old bags goes a long way towards keeping the planet healthy. If you are contributing to the well-being of the earth, what could be more world-changing than that?

• Stop burning:

Yet another no-brainer, but one that just might cost you money to do. If you don’t subscribe to a waste disposal service, then you are probably burning your waste, directly or indirectly. You already know that burning hurts the atmosphere; yes, the whole global warming talk. So it might cost you more, but getting your waste properly handled is changing the world—literally. That might not be too convenient for your pocket currently, but you want to change the world, don’t you? Your bank account has to feel it a little.

• Staying in queues and lines:

This one might be a bit hard to swallow, but there is a compound effect of staying in queues. If there is a queue somewhere and you join the queue without trying to beat it by calling on your ‘connect’, or soliciting the ‘egbon’ at the front, it would run more seamlessly. As I said in the first point, imagine that you inspire people to be more honest in queues because of your conduct. You would be making one major aspect of everyone’s lives easier. With just a little patience, you could reduce the frustration of many people and maybe—just maybe—put a smile on someone’s face. Putting a smile on the average Nigerians’ face? That’s a high-level change right there!

• Fulfilling your civic responsibilities:

Last but not least, and by this, I am referring to voting. Think of it like you are solely responsible for making the choice; if you don’t, the decision will fall to someone else. It is not just enough to vote, but to treat it like you are the only one making the decision and doing all the necessary research that will bring change to your world.

Here’s a quick bonus tip. After excelling in all these little ways, scaling them by advocating for others to do so in creative and unique ways would come almost automatically. Sooner or later, you’d be changing the world at the scale you imagined in your dreams. But as Michael Jackson sang in that hit song, it all starts with the man in the mirror!