30 Acts of Kindness Guaranteed to Boost Your Happiness
Get stressed much? Wish you could experience more happiness in your life? Today I'm talking to you, our whole community and myself about how we can up the joy in our lives. At the end of the day, that's what I want to see. Happy people who love their life.
Have you ever handed a bouquet of flowers to a random stranger as they walked out of the grocery store? I did it once with my kids. Can you guess what happened next? Tears immediately began to fall from her eyes. She said I had no idea how much she needed flowers that day. I wanted to hug her. She was obviously going through something challenging.
The simplest act of kindness, from a perfect stranger, caused an immediate emotional reaction and changed the course of that woman's day. And guess what, it changed the course of mine.
$5 flowers.
That's all it took.
I'm talking about service. I'm talking about happiness. You can't have or give too much of either. I dare you to try! So, if you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed or just blah, read on. I guarantee this will help. Service is a crazy thing. We think when we serve others we are only helping that individual. But the truth is, the giver of service reaps the most benefit. When you practice altruism, or pure selflessness and service, your brain changes and it's more prone to think positively. It's flooded with happy brain chemicals. Yeah baby, it's one addiction we should definitely seek and hang on to. It's sooooo good! We as the givers become the beneficiaries.
As I look around me when I'm out and about, I don't see enough people smiling. I hardly see anyone laughing. I see a lot of stressed out people. And these days it's rare to see anyone not looking at a phone. (If you're reading these words right now, you're one of them. :) It's all good, I applaud you for wanting more happiness in your life and for clicking on this article to find out how to acquire it.
I'm about to spill my secrets to you. They are tried and true. There once was a time that I desperately needed to up my happiness and this is how I did it. You're going to have to look up from your phone and start noticing those around you. If you want to boost your happiness, it takes work and a little bit of brain power but the reward is happiness, so it's beyond worth it!
Okay.
Start here.
Random Acts of Kindness.
There's 30 of them. One for EVERY day of the month. (Or pick one and do the same thing every day for a month.) I dare you. For real, I'm challenging you to do one of these every day in October. And I dare you to NOT be drunk from happiness afterwards.
1. Give flowers to a stranger
2. Text an old friend
3. Leave a little treat on your child's bed with a love note
4. Send a thank you note to someone who has influenced your life
5. Pay for the meal for the car behind you in the Drive Thru fast food joint
6. Take a simple gift to someone you admire or appreciate
7. Take a candy bar to the crossing guard who helps the kids cross the street safely
8. Put a $5 bill and a "Have a nice day" post-it on the windshield of someone's car at the gas station (and then hide and watch their confusion when they find it. That's a good time!)
9. Take treats or a meal to the Fire Department. They love that!
10. Email your child's teacher and simply say thank you or have your child make them a card
11. Take flowers to Nurse's station and have them deliver them to who ever is in need of a boost that day
12. Leave extra time in the parking meter or fill an expired meter
13. Leave the waiter/waitress a generous tip
14. Take dinner to someone who is stressed or sick
15. Put sticky notes with positive messages all over (your home or work or public places)
16. Buy extra food and give it to a homeless person or someone in need
17. Tell someone they look beautiful
18. Leave a positive comment on social media
19. Drop off toys or clothes to homeless shelter
20. Invite someone over for dinner
21. Invite a friend for lunch-your treat
22. Help a friend clean or organize a room in their house
23. Smile at a stranger. Like a big giant, full teeth-baring smile!
24. Call your Mom or Dad and tell them what you love about them
25. Leave $1 bills in random places at the dollar store
26. Acknowledge the birthdays of the people in your life. Give them a gift to show you care.
27. Ask the Grocery Store checker how their day is going.
28. Donate crayons and coloring books to pediatric wing of a hospital
29. Forgive someone
30. Forgive yourself for whatever is keeping you from being happy
No matter what you choose to do, by simply letting go of your own cares for a moment and thinking about others, you can boost your own happiness. It's proven. Take a break from your stress and reach out. There are people in need all around us. And like I said earlier, the giver is always the one who benefits most.
Have any other ideas for acts of kindness you can share with us? We want to hear about them!
Mandy Cheney is a contributing blogger and photographer for PRIME RESIDENTIAL.
We are a boutique Real Estate Brokerage committed to educating our clients how to maximize profits when buying, selling and investing in real estate. We achieve this accord by serving our clients with the heart of a teacher.
From luxury listings to first time home buyers, we dedicate our time, resources and knowledge, to achieve a very personal an rewarding real estate experience.
