By: Juliet Nabinger
“At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
-Maya Angelou
Happiness is one of the most important life goals we all share. No matter our age, career, or geographic location, we all want to achieve that elusive goal of happiness. It can be challenging to find reasons to be happy every day, but happiness is achievable.
Psychologists at Stanford University found that paying it forward; committing small acts of kindness every day, can increase individual levels of satisfaction. They discovered that deliberately being kind gives people a sense of purpose, and that sense of purpose fuels self-confidence and improves personal well-being. Furthermore, psychologists found that committing to various acts of kindness has a more positive effect on an individual’s mood than carrying out the same act of kindness repeatedly.
For example, the first or even fourth time someone decides to pay for the person behind them in the drive-thru, that person might feel a strong sense of purpose and accomplishment; however, the twentieth occurrence may not have the same positive psychological effects. It may start to feel more like a routine, and less like a deliberate decision to be kind. Instead, psychologists recommend a variety of kind acts. These acts might include: taking a walk and cleaning up trash, providing a homeless individual with a meal, leaving a larger-than-expected tip the next time you eat out, calling your grandparents, or shoveling your neighbor’s walkway.
When you pay it forward, you’re not only improving your own mood, but you’re leaving a positive impact on someone else. Happiness is contagious, and your actions can have a profound impact on the emotions of others. When you commit a random act of kindness for others, they take their happiness and pass it on. Acts of kindness can have an effect that can last hours. In a Connecticut Dunkin Donuts drive-thru, one act of kindness inspired people to pay it forward in an unbroken chain for over three hours.
On the 28th of this month Pay it Forward Day will be celebrated, take this day to think about your neighbors and perform an act of kindness. Don’t stop there, though, try to do acts of kindness all month long.