‘Spread love wherever you go.
Let no one come to you without leaving happier.’
~Mother Teresa
How often do you consciously try to be selfless and focus on someone else’s happiness? It’s difficult to remember that the entire world does not revolve around us and that we need to give and put into the world just as much as we expect to receive. Our mission to find the answers for ourselves to learn how to be happy makes us blind to others’ own feelings. Happiness is the universal currency and you can choose how you spend it.
Spreading happiness is amazing because it makes you and the recipient feel better simultaneously! To spread happiness is to spread kindness. By making even just one other person happy, we are able to create a ripple effect. Think about it, if you were working at a cash register and the customer you were helping was very mean and confrontational for no reason with you while they were being checked out, you’re much more likely to frown and be flustered when you help the customer after them. If a customer is funny and smiling while you check them out, you’re more likely to be nice to the next customer you help.
The act of happiness you spread might just last long enough to reach one other person, but that means it’s done its job. That person will spread that happiness to one more person and so on. Ripples outward and outwards, affecting more people than you ever intended. There are some acts you can do that can affect many more people at once and that will have even bigger ripple results!
The point is you want to be kind, happy, and positive to the people you interact with whether that’s in person, in groups, or online. Happiness and kindness breeds more happiness and kindness. It has to start somewhere, let it start with you.
When talking to people, look for at least one thing that you can offer a sincere compliment about! Perhaps you like the person’s sweater, or you really appreciated something they did for you in the past. Let people know what you like about them!
It is easy to remember and to feel motivated to express kindness when someone is having a rough time or have just finished an important project.
But also remember to express kindness for how someone continues to put so much love into the dinners you eat. Or for being on time every day and doing their job well and keeping deadlines.
If you don’t feel like you have the courage to talk to a stranger, simply smile and greet them with a wave or a simple hello.
Do you have any idea how many people pass by others without receiving a single hello each and every day? I’m willing to bet that not a single person even gave them eye contact either (unless they were paid to.)
Receiving a simple sign of acknowledgement from a stranger can easily brighten their day because most of the time, people feel unnoticed.
I know this for a fact because I see the sadness in people’s faces as they walk alone. All it takes is a simple hi and for some reason, it seems like they’ve just received the greatest news.
“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”
Eleanor Roosevelt