Bringing Joy to Others
Welcome, we are glad to be with you again this week. We have spoken about different subjects, some we have repeated. Last week we spoke to you about joy, about making sure you find time to bring joy into your life, and we are hoping that you have taken that message to heart and that you are bringing joy in. That you are finding things that light you up, that bring a smile to your heart, that make you feel good about life. This week we would like to talk to you about sharing that joy and finding the joy in giving joy to others.
For some it may actually feel easier to bring a little joy into somebody's life than it is to make time for you. We ask you to pause and think of simple ways that you could bring joy into someone’s life. We have a few suggestions to help you if you are not coming up with ideas on your own. Bringing coworkers coffee, bringing an unexpected snack into a meeting or a gathering. By offering or just doing a chore that your spouse, partner, roommate, neighbor would normally do. Just doing it to bring a smile to their face. Many things that you could do would not take much time. If you are picking up coffee for yourself, if you work in a situation where you could bring coffee to a close friend or close coworker it would not add time to your schedule. If straightening up a room while your partner or roommate is doing something else sounds difficult, that may be even more reason to do it. Learning to give unexpected gifts. Neighbors that maybe don't get out often, come up with an excuse to give them a gift certificate to a diner or a restaurant. Offer to keep a friend’s children for an evening so they can go out and know that their kids are safe, and they don’t have the added expense of paying someone to watch their children. Choosing to take your kids unexpectedly to a park, to a movie, to an event. That would take a little more time, but it would be time well spent. There are simple things holding a door for someone, letting someone merge into traffic, forgiving someone for cutting you off, deciding to bring home pizza, and give yourself or someone else the night off from fixing dinner. We are sure that if you sit down to think about it, you can come up with many little things that could bring a spark of joy to someone's life. You see a miniature pin with their favorite animal, you pick up a set of pens in the ink color they like, you decide to bring a plant for the office space, you allow someone to leave work early without it being a hassle. The nice part of doing any of these things, small or large, is that when you see their joy, their peace, their surprise, it can bring you a moment of joy in feeling that, in knowing that you have given someone else a bit of happiness.
There was a idea that was popular for a while called doing acts of kindness. We think doing acts of kindness is a wonderful way to live. There is definitely a need for kindness in your world. How can you be more kind on a regular basis? That applies to yourself and others. Some acts of kindness to yourself can be a challenge, such as choosing fruit over candy, water over your fourth cup of coffee, or walking the block as opposed to driving a short distance. Being kind to your body counts. Being kind to your body is also an act of kindness to your family and loved ones. These types of acts of kindness help you stay healthier longer.
Sometimes truly the hardest part of being kind can be not saying something when you feel the urge to correct someone or criticize them or let them know that you could do it better. Consider the times when someone has corrected or criticized you or let you know that they could do what you do better. In today's world offering someone a smile and a bit of encouragement goes a very long way.
We thank you for being you. We love you and we are always, always with you.