With 2018 not far away now, it’s time to start thinking about things like New Year’s resolutions and how you can become a better version of yourself over the next 365 days. One of the best ways to do this is by carrying out more random acts of kindness, without asking for anything else in return. With that in mind, here are a few great examples of random acts of kindness that you could consider doing…
Donate to a charity
Donating to a charity is one of the quickest, easiest and most effective ways to help contribute to a great cause. Gifting some spare change (or a more substantial amount if you can afford to) can help change somebody’s life by improving living conditions, helping find cures for life threatening diseases and improving the safety of children and animals. Charitable organisations like Oxfam are always grateful for extra financial support.
Pass on a copy of your favourite book
For those people who aren’t in a position to donate money to a charity, doing something simple as circulating a copy of your all-time favourite book can be a great way to put a smile on somebody’s face. Sharing something you love is a brilliant act of kindness.
Adopt an animal
This idea can either mean choosing to adopt an animal from a rescue centre if you’re considering getting a new pet instead of buying one, adopting an animal at a zoo or adopting an endangered species. Doing this will help look after and nurture the incredible animals (pets or in the wild) that we already have in the world to keep them safe, fed, watered and alive for as long as possible.
Wash your neighbour’s car when washing your own
Again this is another simple one – while you’ve got all of the kit out to wash your own car, consider extending the garden hose to your neighbour’s car and giving their vehicle some TLC too. It will save them time and money and make you feel great after.
Donate to a food bank
Poverty and malnutrition is a problem all over the world on various different scales, which is why food banks are such a brilliant and important idea. Donating items to your local food bank whenever you can helps the volunteers who work so hard to keep the banks running do what they do. While a packet of biscuits and some tins of soup might not sound like much to you, this small gesture can mean the world so somebody who otherwise wouldn’t be able to eat or feed their family.
Pay for somebody’s grocery shopping
Of course, you can’t be doing this every time you go to the supermarket or you would end up out of pocket yourself but if you see a young person or an elderly person in front of you, consider paying for their shopping. These generations tend to have the least money and elderly people in particular can often find it difficult to fend for themselves so if you can afford to do so, this random act of kindness every now and again will be more valuable than you think. Similarly, if somebody in front of you in the queue has forgotten their purse or wallet, why not foot their bill for them if you have the means by which to do so.
Volunteer at a homeless shelter for the day
Money, food and material items are all great things to donate to those less fortunate than you if and when you can but your personal time is also an incredibly valuable commodity when it comes to random acts of kindness. Donating some of your time to donating in a homeless shelter will help put a roof over somebody’s head and keep them warm and dry for the night.
Leave your change in the vending machine
If you’ve bought something from a vending machine, consider leaving the change in there for the next person to use. While it might only be a matter of pence to you, a simple altruistic gesture like this can turn somebody else’s day from bad to good.
Bring treats into the office
Because who doesn’t smile when they see a tray of doughnuts on their desk?
