25 Simple Ways To Brighten Someone's Day with Kindness

A middle aged woman helps a senior woman balance while walking outside.Photo byDmytro Zinkevych via Shutterstock

Acts of kindness go a long way. You can transform someone’s entire day, letting them see that there is still good in the world.

Brighten someone’s life. Spread joy with random acts of kindness.

Pay the Tab

The stories where a stranger steps up to pay the grocery bill of a struggling mother who forgets her wallet warm our hearts - you can be that stranger.

Paying the tab at a restaurant, coffee shop, or grocery store can make someone's day.

However, be wary of the “pay for the person ahead of you” chains at popular coffee shops. While they seem generous, they put undue pressure on those who can’t afford other people’s large orders.

Give Up Your Seat

Giving your seat up to pregnant, elderly, or disabled people shows good manners, but you can also give a seat to anyone who seems to need it.

Even young, non-disabled people get worn out. Spread kindness by offering your place to anyone who needs it.

Hold the Door

Holding the door for someone is the simplest way to show kindness, yet too many of us obliviously let it slam into the person behind us.

Show the world you’re paying attention to those around you. Take a glance while entering to ensure no one is right behind you, and if they are, do the right thing by holding the door.

Compliment Their Style

People love compliments. However, they can come across as overly flirty or even creepy if done incorrectly.

The best rule for compliments is to compliment things people can control, like their fashion sense or style. Don’t compliment someone on something outside their control, like their height or physical attributes.

Pick it Up

The next time you see a stranger drop something, pick it up for them. It’s a simple gesture that shows you care.

You can also show kindness to the Earth by picking up litter while out and about.

Cheer Them On

If you notice someone challenging themselves, cheer them on! Tell racers they’ve got this! Clap when people reach the finish lines.

It’s also crucial to cheer on people who are close to you. Support your friends as they try new things or apply for promotions at work. Become everyone’s cheerleader and spread well wishes across your community.

Give Grace

Sometimes, the kindest thing you can do for someone is show them grace. You never know what other people are going through.

Stop judging the mother wrangling her tantrum-throwing toddler and ask if you can help. Don’t yell back at drivers in traffic. Understand that sometimes, people act out because they’re tired or stressed, and do your best to make it better rather than worse.

Handwritten Note

Modern culture lost the art of handwritten notes, but that makes them even more special.

Send thank you cards to someone who offered a helping hand. Write little notes to your friends or coworkers. Tell people you care about them in writing. These small gestures make a massive impact on their lives.

Leave a Bigger Tip

Tip culture has gone awry. We don’t need to tip counter workers for taking our money.

However, we should tip legitimate service workers, like waitstaff and delivery drivers. These folks provide an essential service, yet they get paid peanuts. Make their day by giving them five extra bucks on top of the traditional 20%. If they did a great job, leave them even more.

Offer a Helping Hand

Humans thrive in communities. We’re the only species capable of helping strangers in need, so put that ability to work!

Help someone put groceries in their car or get an item off a high shelf. Ask people who look overwhelmed if they need help. It may seem small, but it will make a massive difference in their day.

Smile

Spread kindness with happiness. Sometimes, all you have to offer is a smile, and that’s enough to brighten someone’s day.

Include Them

Be kind to everyone in your circle by making efforts to include them. Invite the solitary coworker out to lunch with the group.

When in meetings or conversations, ask the quiet people what they think. Make sure everyone has the opportunity to share.

Respect Their Wishes

Don’t pressure people to accept your offers of kindness. Some people don’t want to be included, and we need to respect that.

Kindness is offering and respecting their answer, whatever it is.

Support Their Work

Supporting people’s passion projects is a sure-fire way to spread kindness. Buy their art or fund their patrion.

You don’t have to spend money to support people’s work. You can visit their website, share their content on social media, comment on their YouTube videos, or chat with them in stream. Engaging with creators will brighten their day.

Help a Parent in Need

It takes a village, but most modern parents don’t have one. You can be that village.

At an airport once, I saw a mother standing at the escalator, struggling with two young children and her bag. It turned out her toddler couldn’t make it down the escalator alone, but she couldn’t help as she carried an infant and all their luggage.

I stepped up. I held his hand down one escalator and carried him down another. She was so thankful, and I didn’t even know their names. That didn’t matter. A parent needed help, and I offered it.

Make Room for Passing

Far too many people are oblivious to others around them. They crowd sidewalks, grocery store aisles, and even double-lane highways, not noticing that other people need to get through.

Show kindness to others by staying alert when in public. Make room for people to get around you or your group.

Leave a Good Review

Many small businesses and freelancers depend on reviews to stay in business. Platforms like Etsy, Uber, and Doordash punish workers who don’t have glowing 5-star reviews.

Help these workers by leaving great reviews every time you use their services. Review the business on Yelp and Google, sharing your positive experiences.

Let Them Go First

We all despise waiting in line. Make it easier for someone by letting them go ahead of you.

If you have a giant cart full of goods, let people who only have a few items go first. Let parents wrangling kids go ahead so they can get home. You’ll have to wait a few minutes longer, but it’s time well spent improving someone else’s day.

Greet People

People want to be seen and heard. Say hi to your neighbors when you’re walking around the neighborhood. Wave at people. Exchange pleasantries with cashiers and service workers, treating them like real people rather than machines.

Show Appreciation

When people show you kindness, show kindness back by expressing appreciation. Say “thank you” when people hold doors open or take an item off a top shelf.

Showing appreciation can extend past simple acts of kindness. Praise people in your company and community when they go above and beyond. Share appreciation for family and friends on social media. Let the people in your lives know how much you value them.

Clean Up

When you go out to eat, do you leave the table a mess or tidy it up to make the service worker’s job easier?

Cleaning up after yourself wherever you go, whether in a friend’s house or a public place, is a fantastic way to show kindness to your host or server. Make a habit of making other people’s lives easier by cleaning when you can.

Check-In

Show kindness to old friends and relatives by checking in. We often get so wrapped up in our own lives that we forget about the people we care about.

Make an old friend’s day by texting them, just to see how they are. Call your mom or grandma. They will love hearing from you.

Good Gossip

Gossip has negative connotations, but we can shift the perception by engaging in positive gossip.

Stop saying negative things about people behind their backs and start saying positive things. Tell Shelly that Jane nailed that presentation. Tell Bob that Sarah helped you with a project.

Spread the good word about your coworkers, family, and friends to everyone who will listen.

Drive Politely

Driving is one of the most stressful activities we can engage in. Make it better for your fellow drivers. Obey the rules of the road. Use your turn signals. Let people merge or pull out from driveways.

You don’t need to be first or fill all the space in front of you. Drive politely and restore people’s faith in humanity.

Offer Water

If you see people working outside, offer them water. Give construction, yard, and delivery workers a bottle of water to help them stay hydrated while working.

Some will decline, but the offer will show them that there are still people who care about others, and that’s important.

Show Yourself Kindness

While spreading kindness to others, don’t forget yourself!

Professionals share 18 secrets for loving yourself more.

This article was produced and syndicated by Partners in Fire.