I don't eat meat. I don't drink. But I'm not here to tell you to stop either. That's your choice - your agency to step into if it feels right.

But I do think these days are essential for collective action: Meat Free Monday, Dry January, and all those other collective action moments matter—not because they solve the world's problems, but because they give people something I've come to understand as essential: permission to act.

Seeing this post on LinkedIn by a non-alcoholic brand founder suggesting that we no longer need Dry January got me thinking.

Here's the thing about change. It's not usually dramatic. It's not about people waking up one day and completely transforming their lives. It's about seeing someone else do something and thinking, Oh, I could do that too.

Forget big gestures, or huge commitments - ACTionism is about small actions - done together

It's about ordinary people taking small actions together and discovering that when you act alongside others, something shifts. You're not alone. You're not different. You're part of something.

That's why these collective action days exist, and that's why they work.

Think about Dry January.

On its own, it's just a month. But the moment it becomes a thing—a shared moment where thousands of people are doing the same action at the same time - it becomes a gateway. Someone who's never questioned their drinking suddenly has a community around them. They're not the only person saying no at the pub. They're not the only ones ordering a mocktail. There are millions of others, and that makes it feel possible.

The same goes for Meat Free Monday. For people thinking about reducing their meat consumption but feeling overwhelmed, it's not about becoming a vegetarian forever. It's about having one day a week when you do it with millions of others. It's proof that it's doable. It's a starting point.

One reason we launched ACTionism is that we saw that not everyone wants to take huge actions or make big, long-term commitments. Not everyone is ready to commit to lifelong change straight away. But everyone can commit to something small, especially when they know they're not doing it alone.

The world doesn't need more people waiting for perfection. It needs people taking steps - whatever steps they can manage. And it needs them to feel supported throughout.

These collective moments aren't about the perfect activists who were already doing the work before it was a trend. They're about everyone else. They're about the person who never considers their impact until they see someone they know give something up for a month. They're about lowering the barrier to entry so people can actually feel change is possible.

That's the power of collective action. It makes minor changes feel like something bigger. And often, they snowball quickly and grow larger.

We all have to start somewhere. Most of us start when we see that someone else has already started.

Ready to ACT?

Here's what I want you to do today:

1. Think of one small action you can take. Something achievable, something you can do right now. It could be repairing a button, calling on a male friend you've been meaning to check on, or collecting a bag of rubbish on your dog walk.
2. Tell someone else about it. Not to convince them. Not to preach. Just to let them know it's possible.

Because movement, real movement, starts with people realising they're not alone.