It’s fair to say 2017 has started in a pretty rough way based on the news, politics and what not. Personally, my year has started with a bang, the best and worst experience of my life to date. (Having a baby!) But that’s why I plan on, and you can plan on paying forward some positivity for the year ahead. After all, what goes around comes around and it’s a great way of making yourself and others feel good. Here are some ideas for taking those small steps to add some sunshine to someone else’s life.
Volunteering
One of the priceless things you can do with your spare time is use it to help others. Whether it’s a charity, a friend or relative – someone that needs an extra pair of hands will usually welcome the assistance. I know that caring for others 24/4 can be incredibly hard work. My mum cared for my dad for years while he was in remission from cancer with no breaks or time away. There are some places that offer respite care for people and this is something I know is super important. Offering to volunteer somewhere like this is a great idea and there’s lots of information available to find out more about the care that’s offered and how you can help. It just shows that people really need a break. Volunteering at somewhere like this or just helping someone out really can make a difference. Of course, there’s so many places where your time will be welcome, choose something that’s important to you.
Donate
I guess the somewhat easiest way to pay some positivity forward in 2017 is to donate to charities or organisations that are important to you. You can do this monthly, weekly, or on an adhoc basis. You could fundraise in as big or a small way as you can manage. So many places rely on donations from the general public so you’ll never find it hard to find a worthy cause.
Donations don’t always have to be in money format either – we all know money doesn’t grow on trees. But you could clear out your wardrobe and donate the pieces you don’t want to charity. Sort your cosmetics and bath or body products and donate to a woman’s refuge. Just giving away the things you don’t want or need anymore can make a difference to people – especially with websites like Freecycle and Freegle. You can even list big items on eBay for collection if you just want to give things away. (This is great for large household items that you don’t need anymore)
Random Acts of Kindness
So you don’t have any spare time, no free cash and nothing to give away. No problem! You can pay some positivity forward in 2017 by just making small differences to people’s days. Open the door for someone, smile on the train, Share your umbrella with a stranger when it’s raining, compliment someone and just have a positive attitude as often as possible.
With these little things, hopefully we can add a little more positivity to 2017.
