There is no question that whenever I am having a crappy day, the best way to pull myself out of it is to be generous to someone else. I mentioned this to a friend of mine, and her response was, "Well that's great if you actually have money to give, but the truth is that I just don't." Well I'm here to tell you that we ALL have something to give, even if you think you have absolutely NOTHING to give. And here are my top 5 tips...
Do an anonymous act of kindness. This is one of my favorites, and I have been practicing this a lot with my son. Our favorite thing to do is to pick a flower and leave it on a stranger's car, either the door handle or the windshield. Who wouldn't be happy to come out and find a flower on their car? When I was a kid I remember my Dad paying the toll sometimes for the person behind us in line at the toll booth, I always thought that was so much fun and I'll never forget it.
Go through your closet and fill a bag with clothes and shoes that you don't wear anymore. Do a Google search for a women's shelter and drop them off. This is a win/win for someone else that needs clothing to wear, and odds are you have too many clothes to begin with!
Send a friend an actual card, just to tell her she's awesome. This one is sure to delight pretty much anyone, and the few times that it has happened to me it has made me shriek with delight. If you need help finding out the perfect thing to say then you might want to take a looksie through the new book by Miss Alexandra Franzen, 50 Ways To Say You're Awesome.
Volunteer. I'll admit, I've had a hard time with this one, and I've tried multiple times to volunteer my time to places and no one ever calls me back. Perhaps it is a sign that I am no good at volunteering? My friend Emily is an awesome volunteer, she walks dogs at the animal shelter, fosters cats & dogs at her home and has acted as a mentor to young girls. I admire her so much for the time she gives, and it only enriches her life on a daily basis.
Donate. Ok, this one does cost some money, but doesn't have to cost very much! My very favorite organization to donate to is Project Night Night, they are a beautiful company that gives gift bags to kids in homeless shelters filled with toys, blankets, stuffed animals and books. You can donate just $20 and they will give a child a gift bag. This is my favorite way to get a quick hit of generosity because I know exactly what my $20 is going to do, it is going to make a child in a homeless shelter extremely happy. I can envision that child receiving the bag, and take my mind off my problems which are usually so insignificant.
This post is a part of the Summit Blog Tour, which leads up to the Soul*Full Summit hosted by Catherine Just. I’m thrilled to be a part of an event that empowers entrepreneurs, artists and creatives to take action toward their dreams while helping create more opportunities for people with Down syndrome. You can join the movement by signing up for the Summit HERE.
