How to Spread a Little Happiness

Posted by Ana in Personal on Jul 1st, 2010 | 20 responses

When was the last time someone did something that made you happy? I ask, because a simple way to be happy is to make someone else happy. With our busy lifestyles it is easy to forget to be kind and generous to others.
Some time ago, I was having lunch with a dear friend and my lovely godson, when a complete stranger came over to compliment the child and wish us all the best and then left. When we asked for the bill we were told the stranger had taken care of it. This person had no ulterior motives or expected nothing in return. Had it not happened to me I may have dismissed this story as an urban myth. It was in fact, a wonderful act of kindness. It was so unexpected that I will certainly never forget it.

Happiness like laughter can be contagious. So what can you do to make someone else happy?

5 Ways to Spread a Little Happiness

1. Smile
Smiling is possibly one of the easiest and most effective ways of brightening someone’s day. People go about their business in a rushed way and don’t smile. It may just be that we are more fearful of strangers than before. Who knows? Try to smile at someone first and you will see that they will almost always smile back at you. You will both walk away feeling happier.

2. Surprise
Have you ever bought someone flowers or a little gift just because? Not because it’s Valentine’s Day, or their birthday or your anniversary. Just because you thought of them and wanted to do something out of the ordinary. Surprising a person for no particular reason is a brilliant way to brighten up their day.

3. Sincerity
Compliment someone with sincerity. Notice something special and tell them. It could be a good haircut, a charming smile, a gorgeous watch etc. This may sound obvious and straight forward yet it takes some nerve and practice to deliver genuine compliments. On the other hand, if you have nothing nice to say, best to keep quiet!

4. Spontaneous
Carry out random acts of kindness for strangers. It can be simple things like letting someone go in front of you in traffic, holding the door open, giving up your seat in the tube or bus etc. These little things can make a big difference to someone’s day.

5. Special
We all like to feel special. Tell someone you care about what you love about them and what makes them so fabulous. Remember children are people too and they love to hear they are adored. Having someone make you feel unique and extraordinary is a great way to cope with daily stresses.

I think the word happify should exist and we could all do with a little happifying from time to time. What happification acts have you experienced?

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Written by Ana Antunes da Silva.

Image by hale_popoki.




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