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To me, it’s pretty simple.

Be kind. Contribute to society. Help your neighbor. Don’t steal. Don’t hurt people.

I don’t think we need to make it much more complicated than that.

Sometimes we spend so much time trying to come up with a deep answer that we overlook the basic things right in front of us. How do you treat people? Can someone count on you? If you see somebody struggling and you’re able to help, do you?

Those things say a lot.

Helping your neighbor doesn’t always mean spending money. Maybe it’s giving someone a hand with something they can’t do themselves. Maybe it’s sharing what you know. Maybe it’s taking a few minutes to listen instead of being in such a hurry to get back to your own problems.

There are plenty of ways to contribute. Do honest work. Take care of your responsibilities. Treat people with respect. Put something useful into the world.

You don’t have to change the whole world to make somebody’s day a little better.

When I think about this question, I also think about the Bible. I like that phrase, “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” There’s a lot of guidance in there about being a good person.

Look at the Ten Commandments. Don’t steal. Don’t kill. Don’t bear false witness against your neighbor.

Those are basic instructions that say a lot about how we should live. And loving your neighbor is something you can put into practice every day.

I’m not saying I’ve gotten everything right. I haven’t. I’ve made mistakes, and there are decisions I’d make differently today.

But I can take responsibility for those things. I can learn. And I can pay attention to how I treat people now.

Being a good person doesn’t mean you never get frustrated or have a bad day. We all do. What matters is what you do with that frustration. And if you handle something badly, can you own it, apologize, and try to do better?

I also don’t think being kind means you have to let people take advantage of you. You can have boundaries. You can say no. You can stand up for yourself and still treat somebody decently.

For me, it comes back to the same few things.

Be kind. Help when you can. Be honest. Contribute. Don’t take what isn’t yours, and don’t go around hurting people.

That’s something I can work on every day.

Being a good person doesn’t have to be complicated. Most days, there’s an opportunity right in front of you.

— Nicholas Francis
Modern Day Dealer | NFAFinance.com