Taking time out of your day to do something for someone else is one of the most rewarding pieces of advice I have ever received, yet it often gets forgotten during the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is so easy to consume oneself in studies, extra curriculars, sports and jobs that we forget the little ways we can make our life better while helping others. To improve your happiness and those around you try taking one, five, or 10 minutes out of your day to help someone else. Not only will it make you feel better about yourself, but it will most likely cause a chain reaction.
This is demonstrated in the simple act of holding a door open for someone else, the next person often holds it for the following person, and so on. This chain reaction can be presented in other ways as well, though. You can buy someone’s coffee in front of you, causing them to pay for the person behind them, creating a chain of people whose days have been made because of your simple action of paying for $4 dollar coffee. I once had a coffee paid for me through a drive-thru and was told that I was the tenth person to continue the trend. It really is a good feeling.
Whether it’s treating someone to coffee or lunch, holding the door or helping with someones dishes or laundry when they’re overwhelmed, there are so many easy ways to spread happiness and care to one another.
Don’t be afraid to pass along some help and favor towards our professors and faculty on campus, whether it’s holding the elevator or complimenting their enjoyable class, don’t hesitate to show the same compassion towards them. “Having the light we pass it onto others,” our famous Wittenberg motto, is plastered around campus and ingrained in our minds, so why not demonstrate this everyday?
Try to step up your game of paying it forward and you will be surprised at the satisfaction within yourself, others and the chain reaction likely to occur. You never know what someone may be going through, exams or a rough day at work, so this is a friendly reminder to take advantage of making others’ lives a little easier when possible.
