If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody. – Chinese saying

When we are young, we learn that sharing is caring and we build our whole lives based on this value. But is this true? Are we happier when we help others? It seems so. Scientific research on 200.000 people all over the globe proved that nearly a third of the world’s population donates money to charities and, most importantly, experiences joy doing that.

However, when picking your cause, it’s important to follow some steps to make sure that your actions will bring you joy, and this way, your behavior will become a sustainable one. The first step is to always find what’s right for you and what matches your values, because, at the end of the day, giving is about how much love we put into action, not how much money we donate. The second thing you need to consider is giving some of your time to an action or a cause you love – volunteering and actually doing something for those in need will make you see the impact of your giving.  We also believe that it’s healthier for your peace of mind to be proactive to a cause and not reactive – so take your time to choose the causes you really want to support.

We live in a world with many problems and even more people in need and the only way of changing that once and for good is not by simply swiping our cards, but finding joy and real happiness into helping others by actively involving ourselves in the causes we believe in.

In case you need a real example of finding the right cause for you, check Elizabeth Dunn’s TED talk.