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Create Happiness with these 50 Ideas for Giving in the New Year

Tis’ season to welcome in the new year with a fresh opportunity towards perspectives, practices, and understanding of what we can improve on for personal growth, but also how our growth as an individual is influenced by how we treat others to start.

Supporting others with acts of kindness, big or small, creates a positive feedback loop, reciprocated in our overall well-being and development to be the best person we can be. This feedback reflects unto ourselves, actualizing how we would like to be treated in turn, in order to keep those happily contagious energies flowing for ourselves and those we interact with through compassionate acts and self-realization.

The best way we can put our positive energies into habitual practice is by optimizing them in our actions and behaviours. Here is a list of 50 ideas for giving back in the present moment, one day at a time. Some ideas are for ourselves and for others, all of which will make for an empowering sense of gratitude as we welcome in the new year together.

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50 Ideas to Jumpstart Happiness

  1. Donate clothes or items you don’t use anymore.
  2. Help someone struggling to carry their groceries or belongings.
  3. Say hello to greet your neighbours.
  4. Join in an extracurricular activity.
  5. Offer to assist with a fundraiser in your community.
  6. Talk to a senior who may have been alone over the holidays. Visit this link for more information on how to help seniors thrive.
  7. Be a listening ear for someone who is in distress or upset.
  8. Make a goodie bag for a colleague.
  9. Tell the next cashier you appreciate their kindness and helpful efforts.
  10.  Pick up trash and debris and dispose of it properly to promote a clean environment.
  11.  Call a relative or friend and reflect on an amusing memory to make both of you laugh.
  12.  Visit a nature reserve/refuge in your area and enjoy the peace provided for humans, plants, and animals in a safe space.
  13. Take three deep breaths, each followed by an exhale.
  14. Compliment someone on their expressive fashion or style.
  15.  Hold the door open for a passerby.
  16. Let someone with fewer items go ahead of you in the checkout or lineup of a store, event, or other service.
  17. Think of three things you are grateful for. It could be friends or family, necessities of life, overcoming something, or a new healthy regime you have incorporated.
  18. Make an old friend who moved away from your area a homemade card, ask how they are doing to spark a conversation and wish them well.
  19. Find a writing buddy and send postcards and letters back and forth to one another.
  20.  Donate a nonperishable item to the food bank.
  21.  Give a book you have read to someone you think may enjoy it.
  22.  Create a music playlist, or write a song for someone close to your heart.
  23.  Teach a skill or card game to someone who doesn’t know it and would like to learn.
  24.  Donate your time volunteering at the SPCA.
  25.  Paint a positive message on a rock and place it beside a trail.
  26.  Make sure to take a reusable bag next grocery trip, and bring an extra bag to give away to someone who may need one.
  27.  Smile at someone who is frowning.
  28.  At your next appointment, thank your healthcare provider for their commitment and dedication.
  29.  Create an acronym for a friend, listing qualities you like about them starting with each letter in their name.
  30. Eat something locally grown or produced, and opt to buy local goods.
  31.  Support a local artist and go see their artwork at the next exhibit or art show pop-up.
  32.  Study an artist from another country to educate yourself on different genres, the history of art forms, and their beginnings.
  33.  Make arts and crafts or read to children and seniors at the library.
  34.  Eat something that reminds you of childhood or your grandparents to bring up happy memories.
  35.  Make cookies or baked goods for someone you used to go to school with.
  36.  Tidy up your front step or walkway and add a personal touch, like some decor or an ornament with sentimental value to make it fun.
  37.  Repair an old piece of clothing or an item you used to use before purchasing another one, and if you cannot, try to learn how.
  38.  Learn how to play a sport you wouldn’t normally consider participating in.
  39.  Research a humanitarian hero, such as Terry Fox
  40.  Visit your local museum to explore what attractions they offer and to learn more about heritage and your community.
  41.  Ask a friend about their heritage and culture, and what holiday they will be celebrating next to educate yourself and learn something new.
  42. Write in a journal to a loved one who has passed on about what you did today and why it reminded you of them in a positive way as they live on in your day-to-day through remembrance.
  43. Set an intention in the morning to start your day off with courage and inner strength.
  44. Look in the mirror and tell yourself you are beautiful.
  45. Get in touch with an old teacher and ask them how they’ve been, and tell them something you learned from them that was very insightful.
  46. Incorporate a sustainable or minimalist aspect to your everyday routine, like recycling items you may have used to throw out.
  47.  Say hello to the waste collector and ask them how you could make their job or life easier through your actions, or what people may not know, so you can spread the word to those unaware of the proper practices.
  48. Paint a picture of your current season with symbols representing its beauty.
  49. Make a collage of photos of you and someone you care about, and put them in a frame on your wall to display.
  50. Always be thankful when you wake up, for today is a new day.

Create Happiness Everyday

Leading by example into the new year starts with an achievable mission, a thoughtful idea such as these 50, and putting them into action through motivational efforts. We can create our own luck that lasts by embodying happiness. Remember, big or small, kindness makes a big difference. “Kind” of like a snowball effect. Ideas like these bring happiness along for our life’s journey with longevity, ensuring being happy can and will always be a part of our life, as long as we engage with its principles and character. Embrace happiness by giving in other ways to keep the momentum growing strong and wide.

Start every day with giving inspiration delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to our daily inspiration at 365give.

Read these other blog posts for more inspiration:

Why Prioritizing Self-Care is Key to Your Happiness this Holiday Season!

Increase the Spread of Peace, Love and Happiness in the New Year!

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Volunteer writer with 365give.

What people are saying about 365give

“I wanted to express my gratitude for the teaching you provided today. Your message was delivered eloquently, compassionately, and without judgment. The kids were engaged, and now have knowledge with which they can change the world. We all appreciated how you took the time to help us learn to build positive mindsets and practice happiness.”
Shelley Gardner, Grade 6 Ridgeview Elementary (West Vancouver)
“Actions really do speak louder than words, which is why I believe the 365give Challenge has resonated throughout my community. Every give we do is so important to us and leaves us happier and appreciating our lives a little bit more than before.”
Mahina Niyozova (Tajikistan)
“After watching the 365give TEDx Talk, I was inspired to join and begin a daily giving program in India. Today, along with 12 other volunteer women, we provide 100 meals to local underprivileged children in Bangalore for school every day.”
Deepika Ahuja, Mom (Bangalore, India)
“My life has greater meaning now.”
Renate Jorge, @BeKindBrazil and 365give Member, Family Program (Brazil)
“I just wanted to share that 365give really helped me. I am a better person now, thank you.”
MayLee, 365give Member, Individual Program
“This 365give Challenge has really injected excitement and extra enthusiasm in each work day as I think about what we can do. It has motivated me and the students.”
Cristina Peters, School Counselor (New York City, USA)
“I have seen a huge shift in energy throughout my classroom since doing the 365give Challenge. The Challenge has empowered my students to make a positive difference in the school’s community and beyond.”
Cella Adriana, Special Needs Educator /The Holliswood School (New York City, USA)
“The 365give Challenge helps students understand their impact on others. It opens avenues for introducing and discussing global and local issues in classrooms. It is powerful to watch students of all ages think about how they can make a change in another person’s life with one small act.”
Jessica Hall, Primary Teacher, French Immersion at École Pauline Johnson (West Vancouver, Canada)