What to do NOW: 10 actionable ways to make a difference during the Trump years

The bad news is that the world is unpredictable and uncontrollable. The good news is that we are not helpless, and we shouldn’t feel hopeless. We can save ourselves and one another.

Back in 2016, after Donald Trump was elected President by the Electoral College, I kept waiting for someone to save America. A Senator, a Congressmember, a state lawmaker, a celebrity, even a progressive billionaire. Someone. Anyone. But about a year into the Trump administration, as pundits, politicians, and the media became more and more obsequious, I realized that wasn’t happening. The cavalry wasn’t coming.

Maybe that’s why, after the Harris/Walz ticket lost, I wasn’t as freaked out as I had been after the loss in 2016. I knew better than to expect a famous, wealthy or powerful person to step up and try to stop whatever was about to happen. Honestly, it’s probably unfair to think any one person could save America. After all, a democracy is about the power of the collective, and right now, most of the people in the collective have lost their minds.

So what can we do? What should we do to protect ourselves, our loved ones, our communities, and the most marginalized among us? That’s the question I’m getting over and over again in texts and DMs. And the abject shit show that was Inauguration Day made the outreach even more urgent. “I need quick, actionable ways to make a difference,” someone messaged me.

So here they are. The bad news is that the world is unpredictable and uncontrollable. The good news is that we are not helpless, and we shouldn’t feel hopeless. We can save ourselves and one another.

(I write at length about many of the ideas below in my new book, “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age” out in June. Pre-order now and enroll in Firestarter University starting in the Fall.)

Find your own “middle way”
The Middle Way is a Buddhist teaching that suggests the best way to attain enlightenment is to avoid extremes. It means finding a balance between self-denial and self-indulgence, between eternalism and annihilationism. And many of us post-election are vacillating wildly between attachment and aversion. I, personally, would like to stay in the bathtub for the rest of my life.

And while we aren’t required to be enlightened, being too frightened can prevent us from thinking clearly and engaging productively. The desire to shield ourselves from scary and upsetting news is understandable, but as members of a democracy, we also have to be informed in order to help protect others. The way to find our equilibrium is to tune into ourselves; if a guitar string is too loose, it has to be tightened to be in tune, and if it’s too tight, it has to be loosened.

EXERCISE: Think about how you’re feeling and thinking right now. Are you too far in one direction? Journal about it. Meditate on it. Write down some ways to bring yourself back to the middle. Turn these actions into a practice. Habitual modulation and self-soothing will be critical during the next four years.

Determine your strengths

It’s easy to overlook the unique mental or physical gifts, talents, and skills that come naturally to you, but these abilities set you apart from everyone else. Maybe it’s the way you capture an image with a camera, how you keep the trains running at work or home, or how you make people feel like you’re really listening when they talk to you. And don’t let anyone tell you these are just examples of what Mark Zuckerberg would refer to as “feminine energy”—they’re valuable skills you can use to help others in a way that is authentic and meaningful to you.

Society doesn’t encourage women to show off their strengths, so you might not even realize what your abilities are, but I promise you they’re hiding in plain sight.

EXERCISE: Write down all of the abilities you believe you have. Ask friends and family for their input. Then, match those abilities to your activism. For example, if you love making cakes, can you bake to raise money for a good cause?

Find your cause

When you choose a cause aligned with your values, it becomes more than just an activity; it becomes part of your identity. For example, I care about a lot of issues, but by committing myself to the cause of gun safety for over a decade, I became an expert on the underlying factors that led to our nation’s gun violence crisis and, in turn, could advocate more effectively for solutions.

Focus on finding a cause that genuinely moves you, whether it’s supporting children, protecting the environment, helping animals, or addressing a specific social challenge and you’ll be inspired to continue make a meaningful contribution into perpetuity.

EXERCISE: Write down a list of five things that insult your soul. Now prioritize them. Commit to exploring organizations related to the top three. Then, commit to supporting at least one organization in three ways: becoming an advocate online, volunteering offline, and donating.

Join your local Democratic club

Emily Amick

and I discussed this yesterday during our Substack live and we both agree: it’s time for Democrats to get more involved in local politics. Republicans have built robust local groups all over the nation, which serve as a pipeline for donations and candidates. I’ve lived in many cities in red and blue states and I’ve found that while many local Democratic clubs are robust and strategic, some are … not. The good news is that if yours is the former, you can plug right in. The better news is that if it’s the latter, you have an amazing opportunity to step in and help whip it into shape. Maybe you’ll even decide to run for office yourself.

EXERCISE: Google the Democratic club where you live, sign up and attend the next meeting. Commit to voting in every local election and help your candidates get elected.

Sign up for or start a social group

When everything that’s happening out in the world becomes too much, try going hyperlocal to feel less overwhelmed. Smaller community groups can help foster a sense of belonging, provide you with social comfort, and make you more connected to the place you live and work. That might mean hosting a house party, organizing a hike, or even starting a book club. My friend in the East Bay loves to read fairy porn (Google it), and after the election, she decided to find her people by starting a fairy porn book club. I haven’t read any of the books yet, but I sure as hell plan to show up for the discussions (and a sense of belonging, obviously).

EXERCISE: Take an hour today to Google and/or look at local newspaper event listings of local clubs, teams, or organizations. Or walk around your town and check out flyers on bulletin boards. Download the MeetUp app. Find at least one group you want to explore and commit to attending the next meeting in person.

Connect to other communities

After starting Moms Demand Action, it became clear that I’d isolated myself in a suburban bubble. I was devastated by the gun violence in a school in Connecticut, yet children were being shot and killed or wounded with regularity in Indiana cities just miles from my home. Volunteering became a gateway that led me to other mothers and women whom I would never have met if I’d stayed in my own community.

That’s the value of disrupting your social circle; when you engage with people from other or more diverse communities, you’re more likely to view their concerns, triumphs and struggles as your own. Your perspective is broadened and your assumptions are challenged. And all of that leads to stronger, more supportive, and more resilient social communities that can help disrupt our current political climate.

EXERCISE: If you regularly find yourself in rooms with all white women, strategize about how to be more inclusive. Invite people from other communities into your groups, or seek out opportunities to attend events or meetings in a community you don’t live in.

Correct rumors, misleading content and disinformation

We’re in a post-truth era and it’s difficult to know what’s true and what isn’t. That’s dangerous because misinformation and disinformation acts as a corrosive force, eroding faith in institutions and fostering division. We all know the Internet, social media and AI pose a significant risk to democracy, so when we’re online (and even offline), we have an obligation to help stop it. No matter how many or few followers you have, your voice can make a difference.

EXERCISE: Use social media reporting systems to flag false information. And encourage critical thinking and fact-checking skills among your social media followers to help them identify and avoid spreading untrue information.

Learn to love playing defense

For the last four years, many of us have been working to pass policies and laws that will improve lives. Now, we’re going to have to get used to working to stop policies and laws that could destroy lives. Very different vibes, but equally as important.

Remember, Donald Trump was elected to office the first time with significant support from the NRA. Despite having a Republican Congress for the first two years of his administration, he wasn’t able pass a single piece of gun extremist legislation because his opponents—angry women—played such effective defense. A failed policy can save just as many lives and livelihoods as a successful one.

EXERCISE: Join an organization—like Moms Demand Action, Swing Left or Indivisible—and get ready to be deployed. There’s strength in numbers.

Celebrate every win

Too many people believe that one post, one protest, one policy can somehow solve complex problems. But the reality is it takes years of small changes to lay the groundwork for big ones. I don't really understand football, but someone once said to me, "Sometimes entire football games are won by field goals." After being an activist for many years, the notion that incrementalism leads to revolutions really resonates with me.

When you take on powerful and wealthy special interests and oligarchs, you’re going to lose occasionally—maybe a lot. That’s why it’s so important to celebrate every win, no matter how small, and reframe losses as learnings that will help you win the next time. It’s easier to stay in the fight when you know you’re making progress.

EXERCISE: Get into the habit of asking yourself reflective questions after setbacks. Use the answers to fuel your activism: What was the desired outcome, and what prevented it? What did I learn along the way? What went right during the experience? How can I win the next time?

Seek out joy

It’s easy to convince ourselves that our own happiness and fulfillment aren’t important in the grand scheme of what’s happening in the world, but the truth is that joy is an incredibly powerful antidote to fear and hatred. We all deserve more joy, from feelings of awe or wonder to the pleasure that comes from good fortune or well-being.

Moms Demand Action hosts an annual event for volunteers called Gun Sense University. The first year, we decided to add a dance party to the end of the weekend event. People thought that was weird. How could anyone feel like celebrating after a weekend of talking about gun violence? But it was exactly what everyone needed, from survivors to volunteers. We dressed up, turned up the music, turned down the lights, and danced. And that joy was the fuel that enabled us to face another year of hard work.

EXERCISE: It might sound trite, but it works: keep a gratitude journal. Every day, take five minutes to write down what you’re grateful for on paper—from the first sip of coffee in the morning to taking a bath to walking in nature. The physical act of writing these moments down will embed them in your memory so you can better recall them during difficult times.

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My upcoming book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is now available for preorder! This book includes my formula for figuring out what lights you up and learning how to live on fire. Click here to preorder and sign up for preorder bonuses.