four incredibly easy things you can do to brighten someone else's day

Whoa there long title.  As I've told you before, I'm a big advocate for kindness. I believe that random acts of kindness are truly amazing and every time I witness one I just get filled with all kinds of happiness. Right now, Starbucks is doing a promo that I think its pretty cool. If you buy someone else's drink, you get a free drink for yourself. I was talking to someone about this yesterday, and their response was "I think its stupid- either way you're buying a drink." Uh yeah. Either way you are spending money, but by buying someone else their drink, you're paying it forward. I think that sometimes we get so caught up in our lives and what we're doing, and we forget that it is seriously so easy to brighten someone else's day. Whether it is a loved one or a complete stranger, I believe that we all can do a little extra to make a difference in someone else's life.

Some things that we can do for others can take more effort or money. Buying someone's meal obviously might not be too easy if you don't have money. Spending time at a soup kitchen might be difficult if you don't have a lot of time on your hands. But there are so many ways to help others that don't involve much effort at all. So here are four incredibly easy things you can do to brighten someone else's day. hold the door. I cant tell you how many times walking on campus I get almost get hit by a door because people don't hold them open when they walk through. Sometimes I get stuck holding the door for like a million people, but that's okay- taking an extra twenty seconds out of my day to help someone else out? Sure thing. let someone cut. I always feel bad when I'm at the store and someone with one item is stuck with another person that has a cart full of crap. If there's someone in line behind you who's transaction with take two seconds and yours will take a few minutes, then why not let them cut? If you have nowhere to be, it can't hurt.  say "Thank you." People are in such a rush sometimes. I feel like many people hardly take the time to slow down and just say "thank you." Manners are so rare for some people it's unbelievable. When I worked at In-N-Out Burger in high school, so many customers were rude and didn't appreciate the customer service we provide. I believe its important to always say "thank you." Whether its a cashier at a store or someone holding a door, letting them know they're appreciated is so easy and so rewarding. smile. A smile can literally turn a bad day around. I know that when I'm having a rough time, seeing my handsome man's smile can make me feel a million times better. But it's not only with people that you know. You never know what someone else is going through, and flashing a quick smile could give even a stranger that "it's going to be okay" feeling. Easy, right? For some people these are common sense. But for others, it seems as if these things are foreign. Whether its a grand gesture or a simple smile, always take the time to do what you can to make someone's day that much better. Have you ever witness a random act of kindness?

kindness

Happy Monday everyone! Today was the first day of class! Woo hoo :) Tomorrow on campus we have an 'involvement fair' where all of the clubs have tables on the mall (our big huge grassy area in the middle of campus).

I guess Tucson can be pretty sometimes :)

Anyway, I started a club last year called the Kindness Club. I know, it sounds kind of lame, but it's actually pretty powerful. We work with an organization called The Ben's Bells Project. This organization is huge in Tucson. Everyone knows about it. 

Here's the run down: This woman lost a son at a very young age. His name was Ben. Throughout her grieving, she realized what a difference a small, random act of kindness could make. So she started this organization. You can go help at their studio where they paint bells and kindness coins and stuff and they circulate throughout the community. You can read about them on the website. Please read the story and about everything they do. It's really powerful :)

Here are some of the bells from the studio. There's also coins that you hand someone who does a random act of kindness. Then they pass it on, and so forth.

This is one of the many benches around Tucson. They also have murals around the city and at local schools. It's pretty awesome :)

The power of kindness is something that's really important to me. [I'll probably do a more extensive post on this later.] I think its amazing that the simplest act of kindness can change someone's day- or even their life. 

Taking an extra two seconds to hold the store, flashing a friendly smile, appreciating things that others do for you- it's all so easy- and so powerful!

So tomorrow we're advertising the club at the involvement fair and I'm so excited to recruit new members!

Yay for signs! 

I hope everyone enjoys their week and being back to school! :)