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…..

Start Saving the World Today

Chances are, you're wondering by now, what this girl actually does to save the world. Hopefuly you are also wondering what you can do.  So here's a starting point.

17 Ways to start saving the world today:

1.       Collect smiles.  How many people can you get to smile every day? You can get smiles by doing anything.  This can range from giving them a sincere compliment, helping them out with homework or a heavy load of books, paying for someone’s lunch, or a simple “hello” in the hallway.  Keep a record of the number of smiles you get per day.  This insures that you will try hard to obtain as many as possible because no one wants to write down “Zeros smiles today.  I failed.”

2.       Buy flowers for someone.  For your spouse, girlfriend, best friend, teacher, grandma, coworker, you name it.  Something as simple as a flower can make someone's day.  And that's exactly what you are trying to do, right?
 

3.       Leave thoughtful notes around the house where you know a family member will find it. Leave a joke on your mom's bedside table if you are traveling for the weekend and you want to let her know that you are thinking of her. Or you might place an "I love you" by your husband's work computer before you leave.

4.       Leave anonymous notes around the office, school, on the bus, on airplane seats, in the grocery store, etc. with inspirational quotes on them.

5.       Bake something. I love to make cupcakes for my lunch table to surprise them.  We always leave the cafeteria happier than when we entered.

6.       Encourage people to follow their dreams. Take it from someone who has been on the other side of a few words of encouragement; sometimes, it can make all the difference in the world.  Before one of my first cross country races, fear was plastered on my face. My anxiety was so obvious, one of the captains came to talk to me. She looked me in the eye and said "You can do this. I believe in you." Then, I believed in me too.

7.       Buy someone’s lunch anonymously or pay the car behind you's toll on the highway.

8.       Make a friendship bracelet. Give it away.

9.       Do you have a hero? Let them know how much they mean to you.  I can guarentee that they will never forget that moment of their life.

10.  While eating out at a resurant, don't stuff yourself full with the food on your plate. Eat until you are full, and then give the rest to the homeless man or woman sitting outside.

 

11.   Find someone that eats lunch alone and join them.

12.   Visit Six Billion Secrets.  This site is a list of secrets from anonymous contributors who are going through rough times and just want someone to know what is going on in their life. Comment on the secrets and give advice and words of wisdom.

13.   Next time you see a member of the armed forces in uniform, go over and shake his/her hand and thank them for their service. Want to go a step further? Buy them lunch and sit down with them for a while.

14.   Adopt a hero. Be connected with a member of the armed forces and send them a few letters and care packages each month.  Help bring them hope while overseas. 

15. Visit an older teacher, neighbor, or relative.  Sit down with them for a while and talk about how they impacted your life.

16. Write a letter to the janitor, mailman, fire department, police deparment, etc. thanking them for their hard work and dedication.  You could even make them cookies.

17.   Connect with strangers online.  Got an hour to spare? Head over to BLAHTherapy or the Compassion Pit and lend a listening ear to someone who needs advice or just wants someone to talk to.  Be there for someone who had a hard day at work or needs advice on a personal issue.  Sometimes, you might talk someone out of suicide.  Warning: This is not to be taken light heartedly and conversing with strangers about tough stuff can be very emotional.  However, it is truly rewarding and I encourage it whole heartedly if you are serious about making a difference.

So there you go: seventeen ways to save the world.  If I am seventeen and I can do all of them, then you can do atleast one.  

To be continued…..