Stories Matching 'New Ideas' Tag (96 matches)

The Happiness Pandemic: HP101

The 'WWO' (World-Wellness-Organisation) foresees billions of people becoming infected within the coming decade! Here are the most prominent symptoms of this wonderful enlivening 'disease': 1). The tendency to let yourself be guided by intuition instead of acting under pressure of fear, forced ideas and pre-conditioned behaviour. 2). A total loss of interest in:- judging others, convicting yourself and preoccupation with things that create conflict. 3). A complete loss of the capacity to worry: This is one of the most serious symptoms! 4). A continual pleasure in appreciating humans and things the way they are, which weakens one's tendency to want to 'change' others. 5). The desire to change oneself so that innate thoughts, feelings, emotions and bodily matters are managed in ways that facilitate only Health, Creativity and Love. 6). Repetitive attacks of smiling - a smile that says THANK YOU and stimulates being at-one with all those around. 7). ... Read Full Story >>

The Journey of a Kindness Checkbook

The green box on HelpOthers.org talks about a $100 contest I submitted an idea that I would love to do.  I loved the idea so much that I decided to go ahead and do it, only on a smaller scale.  If I am selected as a winner of the $100 contest, I will do it on the large scale.  (fingers crossed)  Since I work at a Bank getting the supplies for my idea was easy: a plastic checkbook cover and a transaction register (normally for a checking account).  Next I wrote a message on the inside cover: "Congratulations!  You are currently the bearer of the Smile Transaction Register.  This kindness checkbook began its journey with $20.  Your only job is to keep it going.  Don't keep it long.  Look over the entries in the register to get some ideas of how to spread small acts of kindness.  You can either make a deposit if the funds ... Read Full Story >>

An Old Way To Bring About New Smiles

I recently got a new version of an old camera that I used to adore... Polaroid instant film! This one is a Fuji, which takes credit card sized instant photos. I named my camera "J5", (after Johnny #5 the Robot, from the '80's films "Short Circuit", mainly because it looks like him :)  In J5's short career (this past month), he has blasted off about 80 photographs, and 60+ have been given away to complete strangers. Each photograph is unique, simple, imperfect and beautiful, as those captured within the photos had a story to tell. So far, one story stands out above them all. Last Wednesday, I was in the play area of the Harrisburg Mall. I sat next to a woman who was there with her son. She was very classy, seemed to have it all together. I would have assumed that she had a sweet, upper-middle class life. As it turned ... Read Full Story >>

A Five Rupee Formula for Joy

On my way out the building in the morning, I search my pockets for 5 rupee coins. If I have one, I go to the shop downstairs and buy 5 packets of Gems-- an Indian version of M&Ms. There are 3 Gems per packet, giving me 14 chances to make someone smile (there would be 15 but invariably the first Gem ends up in my own mouth!). On the first day, I gave one each to the two youngs sons of my dhobi (washerman), and to the boy who lives in the makeshift shack in front of my building. Their hands were really dirty so I put them straight into their mouths. I thought for a second about giving them an impromptu lesson in hand-washing, but they are too young to understand Hindi and I haven't learned enough Kannada to explain properly. Next time I'll pick up the basics, and use ... Read Full Story >>

Inspiring Video Dedicated To HelpOthers.org!

I returned from a lovely holiday with my family and sang in a number of different concerts around the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions in New Zealand. It is always such an honour seeing the joy on people's faces. One concert we sang at was at a local rest-home/retirement village.  It was nice to see 100 elderly people so happy after we, "The Short Sistars," had sung.  It was so wonderful to see so many happy faces, all saying they want us to come back and sing again soon. So next Uni holidays the managers have invited us to come and perform again.  When our music fills the air, I love seeing these elderly people, who aren't in the best of health, and the beaming smiles appearing across their faces as if they feel at peace, maybe :) Then spent the second week down in Palmerston North..Visiting my sick Grandma in hospital everyday and looking after ... Read Full Story >>

Being a Blessing to Someone Else Everyday

Today, it was over 100 degrees out.  Horrible humidity too.  While driving to get my tire fixed on my van I noticed some homeless people wandering around in this heat.  My heart sank. As soon as I was done at the garage I went to the store and picked up some gatorade, ice and bags of trail mix.  I headed home to pick up my 3 kids (1, 2 and 16 years old), loaded the van with the cooler and went off to pass them out.  We found 3 homeless guys walking in the heat with the weight of their backpacks and gave them ice cold gatorade and bags of trail mix.  The best part was seeing the look on my 16 year old's face as he handed them the drinks and hearing my 2 year old say 'God bless you!' from the back seat.   Awesome.  This is how my kids and I ... Read Full Story >>

Compassionate Cakes for the Community

I entered the monthly Kindness contest, answering the question, "What would you do with $100 to help your community?" I said that I would buy 100 cake mixes and bake 100 cakes and deliver them to 100 different blocks in my community, encouraging the recipients to share their cakes with their neighbors! I wanted to deliver not only food for their bellies, but food for their souls! I wanted to show the love that I had for my community and encourage others to talk with or meet their neighbors! I named the idea, "Compassionate Cakes". To my surprise, my idea was chosen and a $100 check was sent to me to do my project! Now, I had to get to work. I bought the cake mixes and made "tags" telling the recipients about the project and encouraging them to visit the website, www.helpothers.org. I added a "tag" to each cake delivered. ... Read Full Story >>

How I Like To Use My Smile Cards...

Thank you so much!! I had sent a request for 30 smile cards for all my Christmas acts.  In the request I said that if it's not possible for them to send me these cards I totally understand because after all I do live a long way down in New Zealand.  I didn't hear anything more and just happily accepted that I won't be receiving any smile cards. Last night I arrived home to find a package with about 278 smile cards inside!! This arrived a few weeks after I placed the request...I couldn't believe it!! That was something I sooo wasn't expecting! I was so overwhelmed, thinking is this a mistake? Here is what I use my smile cards for.... - Whenever I send out cards or presents in New Zealand or around the world I always include a smile card inside. I have sent out quite a few cards out to quite a number ... Read Full Story >>

Sandwich Mondays Feed Hungry People And Our Spirits

I am new to this group but not to the idea of helping others.  Funny thing is, I never really give helping others much thought, it is just something I do.  I am sure that most of those who find their way here are similar in nature and action.   The opportunities are all around us if we are open to them and not so caught up in our own routines. That being said, my first post here is not about something that would raise eyebrows, elicit sighs or gain a round of applause.  It is just a simple thing but I hope that it brings comfort to many and lets the recipients know that there ARE people out here who care about them. Following my aunt's death 5 years ago, I made a decision to hold on to her condo in the California desert .  It is a familiar and serene ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Bit of Extra Love on Valentine's Day

My church was assigned Valentine’s Day to serve a meal to homeless people.  After reading a HelpOthers.org story about giving flowers out at a meal program, I formed the idea to augment our church activity with some colorful floral life.  Building off of my intention, a fellow church member came forward to help pay for the flowers.  At the event, we fed the hungry souls until they were stuffed, and then we gave flowers to anyone who wanted one.  Our pastor even joined in to pass out flowers at the tables.

Later that day, I saw a lady with a carnation in her hand hugging the pastor, which led me to believe that the flower must have touched her in a special way.  It is great that through a simple idea on this website, we were able to bring the food serving experience to a deeper level with some flower power!

My Experiment with Free Hug Friday

My scheduled day of kindness this week is tomorrow (yes, I’m still doing it each week, just haven’t written about them all!) but I was not sure what I would do. While catching up on some of the stories here today, I decided I will make it Free Hug Friday!  My catch phrase tomorrow any time I see someone a little down or frustrated is to say to them “Looks like someone could use a hug!” and then let them have it! I’ll certainly have to be a little careful so I don’t scare some of the people inmy office. Most of them think I am a little off anyway, so they will just add this to the list of strange things they’ve seen me do. I have noticed how much a touch or hug can mean to people, even if they don’t realize it at the time so I’m going ... Read Full Story >>

A Volcanic Eruption of Kindness in London

I run a hotel in London. During the problems with the now infamous ash cloud, I spent the morning listening to people calling in to a radio show on London's LBC radio station to tell their stories of woe....some had missed flights for holidays, some couldn't get home following the volcanic eruption. The story that struck me the most was a call from a man named Peter who had just gotten married the previous weekend to Maz.  They were due to leave for their honeymoon to the Dominican Republic but could not due to the ash cloud. When James O'Brien, the radio presenter, asked if he was upset, Peter said:  "Not at all, I've married the loveliest girl in the world whom I adore so no I'm not unhappy at all". Both, the presenter and I were blown away by the beautiful answer.  A little later, after numerous cancellations due to people not being ... Read Full Story >>

Sixth Graders and the Smile Deck

I teach a sixth grade religion class, and today I played the Smile Deck game with my students.  They each left with two kind acts to complete and were very enthusiastic as I handed them regular Smile Cards to go along with the Smile Deck Cards.

One student was able to complete one of her acts that day itself, when class ended.  She held the door for those leaving the building, handing out Smile Cards to those who would take them.  It was uncomfortable for her at first (12 years old is an awkward age, at best), but she got the hang of it and started to enjoy her 15 minutes as 'Door Woman'!

I am excited to hear about how the other children's acts of kindness go.

I hope that my take on the ways we can “take care of God's creation” will sink into these kids, and they will carry forward the idea of embracing kindness as a meaningful part of life.

This is just the beginning for me!!  Thanks for the forum of inspiration!

Biggest Drive-thru Smile Ever

Last night my husband and I were on the way to a show. We were both hungry and wanted to grab a quick bite on our way there, so we swung through a Jack-N-the Box drive-thru and placed our order.  When we got up to the window the lady smiled at me (which is sometimes rare) and asked how I was doing while she was collected our money for the food.  I replied, "Fine, and how are you?" She went to get our order ready and I asked my husband to pass me my "Drive-thru Smil bag". He handed it to me and watched in amazement as I gathered together a "You make a difference" paper, a Smile Card, a smiley stamper and a smile button.  She came back to the window almost before I finished putting it all together.  Without looking too closely she passed the bag and said, "Thank you. Have a good ... Read Full Story >>

30 For 30: A Birthday Wish

Check out the video below, from a HelpOthers member ...

If you're so moved to support Hywy's 30th b'day by doing a kind act in your community, please leave a comment below about your intention, and it will be sent directly to her -- and wil make her day/year. :)

Much love to all of you who make this world a better place, one kind act at a time!

Celebrate World Kindness Day on Nov 13th!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead Join us in celebrating World Kindness Day on Saturday, November 13th by, you guessed it, doing something kind for someone else! :) Want to do something kind, but just can't think of what to do? You're in luck! We've got loads of ideas on our site, where you can find one that moves you personally.  We've also included some of our favorites here below, which are quick and easy for everyone to do this Saturday in the spirit of joining the global community to promote kindness. Kindness Ideas Give a friend your favorite inspirational book with a personal note attached. Pay for the person behind you in line. Plant a fruit tree where it will thrive. Leave ... Read Full Story >>

Overwhelmed By My First Random Act Of Kindness

I just received my first random act of kindness and it has left me feeling really overwhelmed. Just last night my husband and I sat down to discuss our finances. Since his divorce 5 years ago and my job loss 18 months ago things have been going steadily down hill. We are living on overdraft, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul and we came to the sad conclusion that we will have to sell his prized 52 Chev pick-up truck which has been in the family for 55 years! He restored it from scratch 10 years ago. Feeling depressed today, I decided to go to the local mall for a coffee, as I was leaving I noticed what looked like a $20 bill folded up beside the pay phone. Wrapped up inside was a smile card! I could not believe this was happening to me at this point in time and simply had to come home and ... Read Full Story >>

Really Really Free Markets Are A Really Really Great Idea!

  I started a Really Really Free Market in my town as a way to bring the community together.    A Really Really Free Market is like a cross between a farmer's market and a garage/yard sale, except everything is free! People show up with stuff to give away and take what they need from other people's abundance.   It took a little while to catch on but now it seems fairly busy and I am trying to make it bigger and more fun so that more people have access to the wonder that is giving without expectation of reward and receiving without being judged.   It runs once a month on a Saturday afternoon and there are clothes, books, plants, biscuits, pasta, fruit, furniture, ornaments - and lots of other stuff. The kids all play together (it's at a park) and sometimes one family brings playdough, beads and colouring-in pictures for the children to play with.   I ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness: A Way of Living (Video)

Two volunteer interns at HelpOthers, who are only high-school students, recently directed and starred in their own video about how to make kindness a part of our daily lives.  They undertook "step-it-up" acts of kindness as part of their weekly "homework" throughout the summer internship :) and have produced this video to share their inspiration with others!

Check out their inspiring video and leave a comment here to encourage them, and other young people like them, to create more ripples of kindness in the world! :)

Practicing a Little Patience

I work at night in a department store. Yesterday I had a customer come to my register to order socks from our catalog. It seemed pretty clear and easy to me, but she was struggling to figure out how many 3packs she needed to order. She apologized for being so confused and told me she had a head trauma and it was taking time for her to think.

I told her not to worry and we would figure it out together. She pulled out paper and wrote down 3 and then put numbers in groups....it was really something how she worked hard to figure out 3 x 4 = 12.  That she needed 12 pairs, which was 4 packs...which I could have just told her, but I could see she needed to figure it out and feel good about it.  

In  the meantime, her husband showed up and she lost her train of thought. It took about 10 minutes to place her order, but she left feeling really good about herself and her husband thanked me profusely.

Sometimes it's hard to show patience, but it really pays off.

Flowers and Wheel Chairs

I am the Director of a little non profit Youth Centre and we do at least one act of kindness a month with the youth who attend. Just this month the youth handed out flowers to random community members. There was great energy among the kids that day, after we exchange stories on how we felt about the act of kindness we did. A 14 year old male stood up and said "Id like to say something." I was a bit surprised as he is a shy and quite boy but I said go ahead. "Today I gave a lady who was in a wheel chair a flower. She was putting her two kids in the back seat of her car. When I went up to her and said, hello, she was suprised when I handed her a flower. I quickly said Happy Valentines day and started to walk away. She ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness On A Budget

It never ceases to amaze me how generous people who post on this site are.  From those who are fortunate enough to be able to use some of their money to help others, people making things for others, or just giving up a moment of their time to someone in need.   But what I would like to do here is offer some ideas on how to bring kindness into other people’s lives without needing to spend money.  So here I offer some ideas for acts of kindness that only need you, your hands, your knowledge or your ears. 1.  Help strangers find their way This is one I try to do every day if I can.  Here in London we have some useful information panels scattered around with maps of the local area on them.  If ever I see someone looking at the panel, or just looking at a map anywhere near where ... Read Full Story >>

Parking Lot Surprise!

My mom was recently hospitalized at a local inner city hospital that requires visitors to pay for parking. I cannot fault the organization for accepting revenue for parking when it is difficutl to find addequate spaces to park at many hospitals.

As I was leaving I was reflecting on how very fortunate I am that she is improving daily and that I have a job and can afford to pay for parking.

Having a family member or someone you care about to be in a hospital is difficult enough, many folks are grieving or afraid so to extend a small favor like a parking fee, maybe would help just a bit.

So as I left, I gave the parking lot attendant double the parking fee each time I visited and asked her to use the extra money to pay for the next person in line's parking. I have no idea if the person behind me felt any better about the "free parking" but I did!

It's What You Do, Not What You Say

When I was younger,  we lived out in the in what is now a forest preserve. People had the unfortunate habit of abandoning  dogs at the foot of our long driveway. This drove my poor mother crazy!  We were by no means well off and already had a dog. Staring out the window my mother would sputter and complain about the irresponsible and cruel people who had dumped their dog on us. She told us to stay away from the dog as we could not afford it, and that was that! I felt very upset, and I couldn't believe my mother refused to help the animal, but she was adamant.  She said, "Other people lived near by. Let them take care of the creature." The poor dog lay at the end of the driveway and hardly moved for two days, obviously heart broken. My heart was breaking too, but I dared not ... Read Full Story >>

Trick-O-Treating in Reverse!

My task was to knock on 10 doors and give them a treat -- a "reverse trick-or-treat" kindness mission!  I took a wicker basket and filled it with wrapped treats, including Emergen-C Joint Health packets, ThinkThin Crunch protein bars, and Kashi Honey Oat and Flax energy bars -- all fairly healthy items. The Smile Deck Card said to knock on 10 doors, but I took it a step further and knocked on all of the 30+ doors in my apartment building.  The results were on the whole quite positive.  However, my ambivalence with doing this deed stemmed from my fear that the neighbors would be suspicious of someone knocking on their door inside of a gated building.  This turned out to be the case with a number of neighbors, but that was part of the challenge for me -- to maintain positive, giving intentions amidst people's doubt and suspicion.  I found that first ... Read Full Story >>

Using My Hobby To Help The Homeless

I am a huge fan of thrift shops and I have several that I check out every weekend. It's how I unwind and have some time to myself. I actually look forward to it every week.   One of my favorite shops had started discounting certain clothing by 90%. Every week they had an entire wall filled with all kinds of items, most of which were in great condition. I was disappointed at first that I couldn't personally benefit because nothing was in mine or my husband's size.   Then it dawned on me. I could stock up on sweaters and jackets for the impending cold weather and donate them to the homeless shelter! In the last couple of weeks I've gotten six huge bags of sweaters, jackets, sweatpants, and long-sleeved shirts for under $20! I also got a small bag of soap, toothbrushes and shampoo for $1.   One of the jackets I got today ... Read Full Story >>

At A London Bus Stop

One late winter's evening I was standing at a bus stop in gloomy, wet and windy London. Then I noticed a young man running as fast as he could and just behind him there was a number eight bus. 

I held my hand out and stopped the bus. The guy was still running, so I proceeded to walk slowly towards the bus. I put my right foot on the step to keep the door open and, finally, the young man reached the bus stop! 

Moved by a Spontaneous Act of Kindness from a Stranger

Last night, after donating the last of my change to Children In Need (a U.K. telethon appeal,) I got on the train from London to Manchester. Feeling hungry, I went to the buffet car, only to find that the card machine was broken and I couldn't buy a sandwich. 

An Umbrella to Brighten a Day

On my way to work I would see this older man sitting beside the road and waving at everyone who passed by. I noticed that he sat there every day even if it was raining or very hot outside.  
 
One day while going to work I remembered that I had a beach umbrella at my house, so I turned around, got the umbrella, and took it to him. He was so happy and for about another six months I saw him sitting beside the road waving at people from under the umbrella. 
 
I later found out that the man had passed away, but I hope that the umbrella made his days more pleasant while he was making everyone else's days more pleasant.
 

Teaching English Helped Him Be Seen Again

  I am an Iranian man who has been battling cancer for the past two years. A transpant has meant things have been better over the past six months. It means I have a lot more time to spend online learning new things.   I have a friend in England who is really feeling home-sick. It's making him quite depressed. He would tell me that he didn't want to do stuff, he just wanted to be left alone, and so on. But I didn't want to leave him in his depression.   So, I asked him if he could teach me English! Even though we were far apart we could communicate by Skype. He jumped from his seat towards the computer in his enthusiasm! "Yes! I'd really like to do that! Can I do that? Please?"   Now, after a few lessons, I can see him becoming happier and more energetic again!   In am sixty-two years old and ... Read Full Story >>