Here’s an interesting exercise for you, and it could become one of your favorite Happiness Habits. While you do your errands, drive to work, or attend school, make it a point to make someone else’s day today. You could do something as simple as giving someone a big smile, or saying thank you an extra time to someone, have a meaningful conversation with a person who’s feeling a little lost or lonely, or it could be buying lunch for the homeless person on the corner. It doesn’t matter what you do, but do something today to make someone else’s day.
How do you feel? It’s a pretty good feeling isn’t it? A big key to our own happiness lies in making people around us happy, and helping out. When you start to think about it, it makes sense, doesn’t it? We are social creatures who get to work together to truly thrive. It follows that helping those around us has an internal rewards system built in. In other words, our happiness goes up as we improve the lives of those around us. What a great deal – two (or more) Happiness for the price of one!

It May Feel Weird at First…

It’s hard to do this kind of stuff when you’re feeling sad and depressed. But those are the times you need to force yourself to do it the most. The more you do it, the more you make your own mind increase the happiness you feel, and that gets mingled with the warm fuzzies for helping someone else. Remember, the key to making this work is to make it a habit. When it becomes well ingrained in your daily routine to make someone’s day as you go about living your life, you’ll automatically start to do it, even when (and especially when) you don’t feel like it. As you probably know, those are the times when you particularly need to do something to increase your own happiness and give yourself that little extra boost.

Deliberate Habits Start with Planning

Start by thinking about a few different little things you can do to make someone’s day. It doesn’t have to be anything big or complicated. Instead focus on small acts of kindness that you can do every single day. Bless your loved ones with this kindness, or complete strangers who look like they could use a little cheering up. Help someone unload groceries, fix a meal for a neighbor who just had a new baby, or bring your spouse coffee in bed when he or she is having a hard time. And really, a genuine smile can really help someone. All these small acts of kindness will start to make a huge difference not just in you, but also the world around you.

To get and give support and encouragement from total strangers (also sometimes called “accountability”), get access to our awesome 2020 Happiness Habits Challenge Facebook group here.