40 ways to LOVE it UP this December…or whenever!

This holiday season and throughout the new year RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS feed your soul. RAKtivists unite! Challenge yourself to be a star thrower in someone else’s life by sharing a simple, selfless act to help or encourage another person, with no reason other than to make that person smile and feel the love, and to pay it forward.

There are so many ways you can take part. Here are a few, or 40:

Smile at or compliment a stranger.
Say “good morning” to everyone riding the elevator with you.
Participate in the “drive-thru difference” – Anywhere you go to make a purchase, whether for coffee, lunch, or a car wash, pay for the person behind you! (This not only applies to the drive-thru; you can make a bigger impact inside the actual establishment!)
Bring flowers to a friend or family member.
Write a note to management praising someone who treated you nicely while doing his or her job (waiter, salesperson, medical assistant, etc.)
Say “I love you” and mean it.
Buy a meal for a homeless person.
Whenever you buy something new, donate something old.
Donate clothing, toys and food to local drives or shelters.
Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
Offer to babysit for your neighbors who don’t get out much.
Buy a “suspended coffee” while getting your daily caf fix! (You walk into a coffee shop and instead of buying just one cup of coffee, you buy two, or more – one for yourself and one for someone in need.)
If you are in a long line, invite the person behind you to go first.
Bring new coloring books and boxes of crayons or markers to the pediatric unit of a hospital.
Visit someone who is lonely.
Make someone laugh.
Hang a sign on a public bulletin board that says “Take What You Need” with tear-off tabs at the bottom for “Love,” “Hope,” “Faith” and “Courage.”
Put sticky notes with positive messages (e.g., “Every piece of you is a burst of beautiful!”) on a restroom mirror – following Operation Beautiful’s example J
Send a thank you note to the brave officers at your local police station, acknowledging the daily risks they take to guarantee your safety.
Arrange to pay anonymously for a soldier’s breakfast when you see him or her dining alone.
Pay someone’s toll or expired parking meter.
Be an organ donor.
Dedicate a song on the radio to someone you know is listening during his or her commute.
Donate used books to a library.
Clean up graffiti or trash in a park.
Share your gifts – music, art, sports, whatever! – through volunteering.
Read to a child or help them learn. For free.
Recycle!
Hold the door open for someone.
Cook a meal for someone.
Give hugs on the reg.
Help someone with yard work.
Be a friend who listens. And remembers.
Strike up a conversation with someone who’s standing alone at a party or who doesn’t talk much in class.
Carry someone’s groceries.
Carry an extra umbrella with you so you can lend it out when it rains.
Offer your mail carrier a cold beverage or a $5 Starbucks gift card when it’s hot out.
Thank others and always remember to let them know how much you appreciate them.
Be sincere.
Always lend a helping hand.