You can make the world better one step at a time. This week, you’ll take one step a day, either on a large project you’ve already started, or on several small projects you’d like to try out.

Think about what you can do to improve the world around you over the course of the week. Before you do so, here are a few guidelines to keep in mind. First, let’s clarify what we mean by “political good” in the title of the chapter. The term “political” comes from the Greek term polis, which originally referred to the city-state but grew in meaning over time to encompass all the citizens. The Stoics took the concept even further, claiming that all of humanity forms a community, with the “boundaries of our state reach[ing] as far as the rays of the sun.”¹ So when we talk about “political good,” we don’t necessarily mean voting or contacting your political representatives, although your actions this week could include these. Instead, we mean working for the good of all those around you.

Second, be sure to double-check your intentions in taking action this week. As you plan your actions, ask yourself whether your motive is purely to benefit other people, or whether there are other motives at play, such as signaling your virtue to others or receiving favors in return. If there are other motives at play besides an honest desire to benefit others, you may not want to engage in the action, since it’s not for political good alone.

Finally, make sure that the action is doable for you. Don’t donate money if you can’t afford it. Don’t donate time if you’ll shirk other responsibilities. It’s fine to step out of your comfort zone a little this week, but do not cause yourself harm in the process. After all, you are part of humanity, too!

Now brainstorm ideas for doing some political good this week. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started.

• Research the most effective charities that are doing the most good, then donate to them.
• On one day, think about your unique talents. The next day, reach out to a charity that may need those talents and ask about volunteering.
• Call your political representative and ask that they tackle a cause that would benefit people as a whole.
• Create an implementation intention to do an act of kindness for a stranger.
• Create a plan to work daily on a large-scale project that you think would make the world an even slightly better place, then take steps to complete it throughout the week.
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Do you have at least six ideas (one for each day this week except Sunday)? If so, great! If not, generate additional entries until you have six. Then double-check each idea’s doability and that your intentions for acting are altruistic. Note down if you think it’s achievable for you, or if it comes from a place of genuine altruism.

Now, use the table below as a guide to plan out one action a day for the next week.

Monday action
Tuesday action
Wednesday action
Thursday action
Friday action
Saturday action

Revisit the table each morning to remind yourself of what action for political good you will do each day. Come back at night and cross it out when you are done.

While the main goal of this week’s exercise is to make the world a little bit better for everyone, it also benefits you. Research indicates that altruistic people tend to have better mental well-being, as long as they don’t push themselves beyond their current financial or emotional ability.² The Stoics knew what they were talking about: People flourish when they work for one another’s benefit, but desires and aversions to external things beyond our control can take a psychological toll. This is exactly why the Discipline of Desire comes before the Discipline of Action—the former clears the way for the latter.

How did your practice go this week? Did you try to do some political good? How did your actions this week affect your emotional state? Write about your experiences.

This week you attempted to do some good in the world. Part of Stoic practice, however, is accepting that the results of your actions are not under your complete control. Next week’s exercise will help ingrain this concept.