So often in life we are little more than spectators, watching what is going on around us. We occasionally rise to the station of commentator, opining about politicians and sports figures and their poor performance - as if we could do better.

Life, however, is best lived. To really live this life, we must get off the sofa, turn off the TV and actually do something. Let me suggest that if you can't think of anything else to do that you choose to save the world, or at least some little part of it.

There is no shortage of impoverished children, human trafficking is flourishing, animals are suffering, and global warming is relentlessly altering world climates. Pick a cause. Any cause. Find your purpose and go save the world.

You can do more than you think

Without quitting your job, or leaving your spouse, you can add a few hours of volunteering to your weekly schedule. You can donate 5 or 10 percent of your income to the cause. When you combine your time and money in an effort to really make a difference, you will make a difference.

In almost any crusade, there are leaders who are giving their time and money to the effort and they are rewarded after a fashion, by being asked to serve on committees and boards that plan and execute the programs of the cause. In other words, those who give time and money are often the ones who get to decide how the money is spent.

You can bring your unique passion and perspective to a cause that matters to you

Virtually every nonprofit organization in the world is looking for more help and more money. If you find one that really fires your passion, the one that you can't stop thinking about, you are more likely to be able to make a difference.

Don't wait

for more children to die of starvation, or a lack of clean water. Don't sit idly by while more young women are forced into slavery. Don't ignore the cries of suffering animals. Don't ignore the signs of global warming. Things won't get better without you. You may not be able to solve all of the world's problems, but you can do something. Do the some "thing" you can do.

By getting off the sofa to actually make a difference in the world, you change the world and create a legacy. You can be remembered for having made a difference in the world, for having made it better than you found it, or you can be forgotten as a spectator. The choice is yours.