17 More Ways to Spread Happiness

17 More Ways to Spread Happiness:

A while ago I wrote you 17 ways to start spreading happiness.  So if you enjoyed them, here are 17 more! Want to share your own ideas? Share them in the comment section below!

1.      Make your teacher’s day. Leave a little note on the homework or test your teacher will be collecting that reads something like, “You look really pretty today, Mrs. Johnson”

2.      Do you have a friend who is struggling in class? Or maybe you don’t really know this person, but thought they might benefit from a little help? Offer to work with them once a week on class work.  Besides, teaching someone else will help you better understand the subject as well.

3.       Make friends with someone who has special needs. If your school is like mine, then you have kids with special needs accompanied by tutors in your classrooms.  Put a smile on their faces by talking to them in class, or just offering a simple smile every day to let them know that they are accepted.  Acceptance is something most people strive for and kids with Autism, Down’s syndrome, Asperger’s, etc. are not any different.

4.      Keep some spare change on hand. Put in a stranger’s expired parking meter.

5.      Make someone laugh.  Tell a joke to that friend who looks like he could use a little cheering up.

6.      Buy a lottery ticket. Give it away. Chances are, they won’t win.  But who doesn’t love scratching off a ticket and hoping for something big?

7.      Clean out your closet.  Decide what you still want and what you can bear to part with. You can hand these down to younger kids whom they might fit. Remember when you used to get hand-me downs from older, cool kids and how you were excited to gets some “cool new clothes”? Pass it on! You can also donate your old clothes.

8.      Besides clothes, you can donate shoes, toys, winter jackets, etc.  The list goes on. 

9.      Shovel someone’s driveway.  Being January, it’s quite cold out now and the snow is still coming.  Shovel your driveway so your parents don’t have to, shovel your elderly neighbor’s driveway, and even shovel the driveway of your fully-capable neighbor whom you just want to surprise.

10.  Make up a silly song about how much a friend means to you.  Sing it to them.

11.  Pretend it is Christmas all the time.  Surprise a friend or family member with a relatively inexpensive gift at any time of the year.  Maybe it’s something that the previously mentioned they would like, or maybe it’s as simple as a bar of candy; Give whatever you think might provoke a smile.

12.   Do the laundry, wash the dishes, clean the living room, or preform another chore around the house without having your parents ask you to.

13.   Tell someone that you are proud of them. Mean it.

14.   Design a plan. Has someone ever told you a dark secret? Maybe it’s that they are depressed and have started to think about cutting themselves, or maybe it’s something as simple as having a bad nail-biting habit.  First, research the situation that they are in, then you can sit down with them and design a plan for them to become happy and healthy again, or just break their habits. Include steps, rewards, and consequences.

15.   Make an inspirational book. If you know someone who has a big sports event coming up, create a mini scrap book of pictures and quotes to get them pumped up and inspired.   

16.   Do you have a new family moving into the neighborhood? Take them a homemade dinner because they probably don’t have very much time to cook.  Draw them a map of the neighborhood and include all the names of all the families and their phone numbers.  Also, write down any other information they might need about the neighborhood, community, or school system.

17.   Write positive messages in the mirrors. You can write them in the steam after taking a shower, or in magic marker in a family member’s room.  The marker comes off easy with a little water. Just make sure the receiver knows it comes off easily first!

To be continued…..