“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
One of the best ways to create a happier life for yourself is to make other people happy.
It's a simple concept really and easier than you may think.
Here are the benefits:
SEE. You'll feel happier as you see someone’s face lights up with joy.
FEEL. You'll feel happier because you feel you have done a good thing; your self-esteem shoots up as well.
REPEAT. In the long run you tend to be treated by others as you treat them. Plus, the way you treat and think about others also tends to be the way you treat and think about yourself.
So how can you make someone happier?
Here are quick things you can start doing today. Pick one and see how it can affect someone in your life.
🗸Let someone into your lane while you're driving. It can really make someone's day and allow them to feel less stress.
🗸Hold the door open for a few extra seconds. It doesn’t take much of an effort but it can put a smile on someone’s face.
🗸Express your gratitude for what is too often taken for granted. We may sometimes take what others do a bit too much for granted. Enjoy the food they cook, how they keep doing their job consistently each and every day or how to they are there to listen when we need it.
🗸Share some of your tasty homemade cookies. Or bread, ice cream or jerky.
❤️Sending a special thank you to my new, wonderful licensed massage therapist, Linda James at Rehab to Relax. At my recent session, she gave me a fresh loaf of black truffle bread that she baked herself. Why? Just because.❤️
Do YOU need a massage? Connect with Linda - 479-981-0804
🗸Give away a piece of your hobby. Like a bracelet or a drawing you have made for instance.
🗸Share some of your fall harvest. For example some jam, canned vegetables, pickled vegetables or dried delicious mushrooms or fruit.
🗸Encourage. The world can be a tough and discouraging place at times. So encourage someone who is in a negative situation at the moment. Add your own perhaps more grounded and optimistic perspective on the situation to lessen his or her worries and perhaps exaggerated fears.
"2019 has been 'a year' for Eureka Springs, AR. As with every passing year, we experience love and loss, but this year seems especially poignant with more sudden loss than we were prepared for.
As a community, we rely on each other to persevere and stay strong.
Please offer your love, support and encouragement when you are able to do so."
🗸Give a hug. It instantly disrupts negative thoughts and changes someone’s mood quickly. 🗸Pick some flowers. It only takes few minutes but the joy lasts for days.
🗸Give a stranger a compliment. Few things can brighten a day like getting a kind and unexpected compliment from someone you pass by or you have just met. So take a few seconds and give that to someone you encounter today and tell her how nice he/she looks. Or ask him/her where he where he got that cool t-shirt or umbrella.
🗸Help out practically with advice. If a friend needs some help then ask someone you know who has been in that situation for advice. Or do a bit of online research to find what he she might be looking for.
🗸Cook their favorite food. I know from my own life that it can really cheer me up.
🗸Get their favorite takeout food. If you want a quicker option than cooking a meal when they are having a crummy day. A variation on this idea is to get just a small piece of their favorite chocolate or other treat.
🗸Tell a good – (or terrible, like I tend to do) – joke. Or a compelling, funny story about something that happened to you recently.
🗸Share something funny you found online. Play one of your favorite clips from a stand-up show you love if you are out of jokes and good stories at the moment.
🗸Share a Spotify playlist with the most inspiring and uplifting songs you know. Send it to a friend that needs it right now. Or share it with family, friends or co-workers on social media.
🗸Bring something nice for the coffee break at work. Maybe some sweet fruit, like clementines. Or some fancy and really tasty tea. Or maybe something from the local bakery.
🗸Smile. Even if you're only spending 30 seconds on talking to the cashier in the supermarket checkout line at Harts or Sunfest.
🗸Run an errand or do one chore for that person. It can be big stress reducer if he or she is having a hectic day.
🗸Just listen. It's sometimes all that's needed to help someone out of a negative headspace.
🗸Bring a cup of tea or coffee the way that person likes it. It only takes a minute while you are already up and getting a hot beverage for yourself.
🗸Hide a secret note for him or her to find. A note of thankfulness. Or a note with a compliment. Or simply a love note. Hide it in their tea container, lunch box, suit coat pocket or hat for example.
🗸Bring the positivity. If you arrive with good energy into a conversation or situation then that spreads more positivity.
R E P E A T O F T E N!
L I V E H A P P Y!
