Last year when visiting my local library (something that I love to do), an intriguing book cover caught my attention. It had a bright yellow cover with an interesting title: How to Be Perfect: The Correct Moral Answer to Every Question, from Michael Schur.

I checked out to my account without any questioning. It explains the process Michael went through to produce one of my favorite TV shows: “The Good Place”. If you have ever watched shows produced by Michael Schur, you might antecipate that the book is funny. That’s not the only adjective I’d use to describe it. The book is instructive in a way that you don’t even notice, guiding you through Philosophy schools while joyfully introducing moral questions that are extremely relevant to our modern days.

Ever since I finished reading it, I started reflecting on how I can be a better person. Not just for my only benefit – for others as well. I decided I have the moral obligation to be better; to leave this world in a better place than when I got here. It might be a presumptious declaration but I don’t care. I genuinely want to at least try to do less harm and help build the world I want to see.

This reflection aligned with something I’ve always believed in since I was young: there’s more to life than building a good life for yourself. This inclination has always guided me through making decisions in my life based on what I wanted, and not on what society tells me I should do: have a good job, a house, kids, go on vacation multiple times per year, etc. I want more for my life than a prescription. I suspect you do as well.

What else is yearning inside of you besides just achieving whatever the “good life” means to you?

As my personal quest evolved, I made some changes in 2024. At its core, I want to make more conscious choices. More practically, I started a few life projects:

Bye, big evil tech corporations

I started moving away from big evil tech corporations such as Google and Twitter, etc.. As alternatives, I am now using Proton services, which provides competitive products to Google. You can use my Proton’s referral code if you want to try it out. I am also using Bluesky after deleting my Twitter account.

My goal for next year is to stop using Google services completely. The reason why it’s so hard at first is because they make it so convenient to use. However, I didn’t want the perfect to be the enemy of good, and am slowly stopping to use Google.

I’m still migrating some files from Google Drive to Proton Drive. I’ve also started using more Apple Maps than Google Maps. The limitations I’m figuring out how to work around is using Apple Maps for my bike routes and where to transfer my spreadsheets to since Proton doesn’t support them yet. Fun projects for 2025 :)

Once I am done with Google for good, the next big app I will stop using is WhatsApp. Not sure yet which service to switch to, or maybe I won’t even use an alternative.

The other big evil tech corp I am stopping to use is Amazon. This year, my purchases there decreased significantly, coming down to almost 0. I do not want to support services that don’t treat their employees with dignity and just care about profits. Now, I search for local shops/services. Even though it means I will need to physically go somewhere, search at different places, take more of my time, etc. I know that Amazon makes things super convenient and it’s hard to let that go but I feel good every time I support a local business instead. For example, recently, I took a poster to a local frame shop and I got to interact folks from the business that has passionate folks and interesting framed arts.

Volunteering locally

One of my goals for 2024 (and from now on) is to build meaningful local connections and friendships. I have made two amazing friends this year and started volunteering at two localorganizations. One of them is a local garbage cleanup meetup. It’s a great way to spend time outside, help maintain local parks, and be connected with my local community. The other one is a food rescue organization where I volunteer to get food that was going to waste and bring it to a charity in need, helping reduce food waste.

I have always volunteered a lot in my career and love helping folks. I decided to reroute that passion towards my local community this year and I’ve met some interesting folks passionate about the values I want to guide my life. Even if I don’t have the time to volunteer, I signed up for their newsletters and donate when I can.

Supporting local and organic businesses driven by a sustainable mission

I started supporting more local farms and business that offer sustainable and environmental products and services.

I’ve been eating a plant-based diet since 2019 after educating myself on the environmental impact of animal-based diet, and on the cruelty sustaining this diet. Since then, I noticed I naturally seek services and products that share these values. Practically, I started supporting local farms, buying organic foods, products that are recycled, buy products from local zero waste store as much as possible.

There’s still a lot to grow here but I feel good with this choice. I try to avoid plastic, single use containers as much as I can. One service that I am happy exists where I live is SPUD - because it makes it easier to find local businesses to support. Another thing I like about SPUD is that they bring the items in reusable bins.

Before we get to the end, I want to mention an important aspect of getting here: I’m in a very good position in my life, financially, with my relationships and politically, aka, I am now in a privileged position that allows me to even think about morality. It wasn’t always true – I worked really hard to get here.

As Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs explains, “Self-actualization” is only possible once all the foundational needs have been met. This is where I am right now, and I can put my money where my mouth is. My intention with this post is not to make anyone feel guilty about anything but to inspire someone to slowly be the change they want to see in the world.

As Michael Schur mentions in the book, when we can, we have the moral obligation to be and do better. I hope you get to read it – and if you do, let me know what were your favorite chapters.

To wrap up, I believe I feel more connected and fulfilled when I think about the effects of my actions and I act with the intention of causing less harm to all living beings, including our planet. I’ve done all of this because I’ve purposefully designed my life to be simple, which gives me lots of time and space to explore other interests besides my job.

It takes time and I am nowhere done. There’s probably a lot I am missing too and I am looking foward to learn more about them in the next year. It’s important to not go on full martyr mode and only do things for others, though. I’m happy that I learned about this balance and was able to practice it in 2024.

When I have the choice, I choose the path that causes the least harm.

The journey is worth it! I’ve met so many inspiring people locally, which gives me more energy to be part of the change. It never ends – and that’s the beauty of it.