Let me present you with an interesting exercise. When you’re out running errands, driving to work, or getting to school, make it a point to brighten someone else’s day. The act of offering someone a warm smile, engaging in meaningful discussion with someone who is feeling lost or lonely, or buying lunch for the homeless person on the corner are all examples of simple acts of kindness.
Irrespective of what you accomplish, make an effort today to brighten the day for someone else.
What does that make you feel? Isn’t it a lovely sensation to have? Isn’t it? It appears that one of the most important keys to our own happiness is to make those around us happy and to lend a hand. Doesn’t it make sense when you think about it a little more, though?
We are social creatures who require the cooperation of others in order to thrive properly. As a result, it is only obvious that assisting individuals in our close surroundings has an internal reward system built-in. In other words, our happiness increases when we make a positive difference in the lives of those around us.
The ability to lift the spirits of those around us is a wonderful method for increasing our own happiness. In addition to making you feel better and happier, you need to boost your own happiness and put a large smile on your face in order to be able to brighten someone else’s day as well.
Doing this kind of activity when you’re feeling down and depressed is difficult to accomplish. However, it is at those times that you must exert the most effort to complete this. Simply by doing so, you are causing your own mind to heighten the satisfaction you experience, which is then mixed with a sense of pride for having assisted someone else.
The key to making this strategy work, as with many of the other tactics for enhancing your happiness that we’ve discussed thus far, is to make it a regular part of your routine. Even when (and especially when) you are not in the mood to do so, if it gets engrained in your daily routine to brighten someone’s day as you go about your daily business, you will instinctively begin to make an effort to do so.
That is, as you are well aware, the time of year when you are most in need of doing something to improve your personal happiness and give yourself that little extra boost.
Prepare for the day by brainstorming a few various small things you can do to brighten someone’s day. It doesn’t have to be anything major or complicated. Instead, concentrate on modest acts of kindness that you may perform on a daily basis.
Bless your family and friends with an act of kindness, as well as complete strangers who appear to be in need of a little encouragement. Help someone unload their groceries, prepare a meal for a neighbor who has just welcomed a new baby, or bring your spouse coffee in bed when he or she is having a bad day. All of these simple acts of kindness will begin to make a significant difference not just in your own life but also in the lives of those around you.
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