1. Give your time.

Volunteer for organizations that work with people in need. Many people are hesitant to volunteer because they fear that time commitment will be overwhelming. However, most organizations are happy to accept any help, maybe even a small specific job or assistance with one specific project.

2. Be consistent with your plan for giving.

There is a great need for many charitable organizations during holiday season. However, need escalates after holidays because donations stop almost completely for several weeks after Christmas. Spread your plan for making charitable donations out throughout year.

3. Consider donating items.

Many people don't donate money because they either don't have cash to spare or they feel distrust of organizations collecting donations fearing that money won't reach those in need. Consider donating actual items, like sleeping bags, coats, or blankets to homeless during cold months. Providing items like those to direct service organizations insures that they will reach those in need. Everyone has things like that around house.

4. Use your expertise to help train staff in nonprofit organizations.

Nonprofits run on a shoe string. Most of them cannot afford to train their staff as well as they would like. Whatever your specialty might be, considering doing a free training seminar or session with staff of a nonprofit. This gives you an opportunity to give back while at same time enriching people who work hard to help others.

5. Get educated.

Sometimes we have to peel away old layers to see new transformed versions of ourselves. And there are times, too many actually, where we don't want to change even though we know that we must.

It's hard to part with our old ways - habits and belief systems that we know we've outgrown but have become so familiar with. We hang on to past because we feel that if we let it go a part of us has to go too. But that doesn't have to be case. You can change yourself, re-invent who you are and still keep memories, knowledge of your former self.

We resist change as if by instinct. We're so stuck in our old ways and then something changes and we end up fighting it. The fighting, resistance makes it harder for us to process changes that are inevitable. This is when we need to just go with flow and let it happen.

Sometimes what we fight most is best for us. Whether it's trying to lose weight or studying for a better position at your job, there comes a time where you know you have to make a change in your life. Yet even when we are aware of need to change we still resist it.