27 Ways To Make Someone’s Day Awesome

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1. When your bring something to eat for breakfast to work, bring a little extra to share with the people around you. (Bonus points if this is something delicious/special, such as homemade muffins, donuts, or lattes.)

2. When an elderly person makes conversation with you during the day about something innocuous, engage with them and ask them questions in return. Appreciate how many interesting things they have to say, and how much of a shame it is that more people don’t just strike up kind conversation.

3. If a baby/toddler is getting antsy in a checkout line, make faces with it and distract it for a bit. (Thus allowing his or her parent to get through the line without incident.)

4. Compliment someone genuinely, particularly about something that you can tell took some effort. If you see a cashier who has a really beautiful hairstyle or fancy sweater, tell them that you like it.

5. Smile.

6. If you’re stuck in an elevator with someone, make nice conversation and don’t just stand there awkwardly and avoid eye contact.

7. Be kind to your server in a restaurant and don’t get mad at them for things that are out of their control — understand that you’re not their only table, and the food not being good is far from their fault. If you have a complicated/special order, make sure to make it as easy-to-understand as possible.

8. Call a friend out of the blue to ask them how their day was and what’s new.

9. Send a handwritten card to someone who has recently done something nice for you, thanking for them for their help and reminding them that you’re always there if they need something.

10. Offer to help someone move.

11. Bring someone food that you know they love when you’re going over to hang out with them, especially if it’s something they can keep for a while, like candy or snacks.

12. Take the time to write a really nice review online of a small business that you had a great experience with, especially if they’re new.

13. Recommend said establishment to your friends when you can.

14. If you can, open your place up to couch surfers coming through your area once in a while. (This goes double if you live in a city that everyone wants to go visit, such as New York or London.)

15. Send someone photos of them that you’ve found of them when you two were younger — even if it means having to take the 30 seconds to scan them on your computer, or to put them in an envelope and send them out.

16. Surprise someone at your work who is always giving their best but is often under-appreciated (think: interns, assistants, and receptionists) with a nice little gift, like flowers for their desk or a cupcake.

17. Get your coworkers together to do something special for someone you know is having a hard time at home.

18. Let someone riding in your car play their favorite song.

19. Offer to DD for an evening out when it’s someone else’s occasion to celebrate and no one really wants to bite the bullet and drive.

20. Offer to pay for a stranger’s coffee anonymously for no reason other than to be nice.

21. Go out with a friend onto the dance floor who is shy to dance, making sure to be sillier than they could ever be so they feel at ease to look ridiculous.

22. Say “good morning/good afternoon/good evening” to people you cross throughout the day.

23. Call a relative you haven’t spoken to in a while and catch up with them.

24. Send someone flowers who lives far away with a nice card reminding them how much you care. (This has a similar effect to black-tar heroin on mothers/mothers-in-law/grandmothers.)

25. If you get into a taxi and the driver was listening to something that he turned down/off for you, tell them kindly that you don’t mind listening to whatever they want to.

26. Put your unwanted clothes back after you try them on if you know where they go and it’s not too much of a hassle.

27. Make a home-cooked meal for someone you know has had a bad day. Even if you’re not the world’s greatest chef, having someone put in the effort for you is the spice that makes any meal delicious. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

 

Chelsea Fagan founded the blog The Financial Diet. She is on Twitter.

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