How to Achieve the SDGs by Making them Look Easy?

We all are addicted to reaching objectives that make us feel good. If the same logic is applied to a greater extent, let’s say collectively, we would be addicted to reaching goals that make everyone feel good. Those goals that would make societies more just and equitable are already well-defined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Achieving the 17 goals sounds like something that can be attained only when people come together in big numbers. However such big movements, usually are fueled by individuals that take action at different levels. The pledge of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind also implies that everyone can help to make a change. While no specific skill sets are needed to get started with individual actions that would support progress towards achieving the SDGs, new skills would help to do it in smarter and more practical ways.

Give the difficult task to a lazy person

It seems that Bill Gates quote on choosing a lazy person to do a hard job, because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it, inspired many to write about the topic. It’s quite interesting to see the results of ‘lazy people’ articles. Based on what the front page of Google shows lazy people are more likely to be successful, smarter, leaders, inventive, and even the best hire. (What?) You can be phenomenally lazy and inventive but think twice about writing that on your CV.

As far as one can tell, even the United Nations found a way to harvest the practical and creative potential of the lazy, when it made ‘The Lazy Persons’ guide to save the world”.
“Change starts with you. Seriously. Every human on earth—even the most indifferent, laziest person among us—is part of the solution,” the UN points out.
This guide besides helping people take action from the couch to the workplace shows that the 17 SDGs can be made to look easier. Given the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to work and study from home, work from home, even progress towards the goals can be achieved from home. If the tasks of the guide are not enough, you can start by learning new skills and use your knowledge to empower others.

How? You can start by developing an entrepreneurial mindset. Never before has something emphasized the global inequalities like the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the major impact it had in developed economies it’s still hard to grasp the economic and social difficulties people living in poor or developing countries have been facing for decades. Social entrepreneurship provides an inclusive opportunity for everyone to take advantage of existing tools, knowledge, and even problems and to use them in a way that sparks innovative and practical solutions.

The simplest path to achieving an objective usually starts with the need or desire, continues with motivation, and ends with a reward that can be anything that makes a person feel good. When the mere satisfaction of getting something difficult and demanding done is not enough, people usually give themselves rewards. A reward stands for anything that makes feel good for example, playing videogames, watching a movie or your favorite series, eating cake, etc. Such rewards help to achieve tasks that normally are kind of hard my making them look easier. As it was mentioned above, people start to pursue a goal because of need or desire. The 17 SDGs include both the need for getting people involved and their desire for a more equal and peaceful world.