4 Ways to Make Others Feel Good in Less Than 4 Minutes

May 15, 2014

Click on just about any news program, TV interview, social media website, article, or any other random media activity and you will find numerous sob stories. Some impact us for an entire day; whereas others might make us take a moment to appreciate that our lives are not so bad after all.

Whatever happened to the days of ages past, when people stood to hold a door open for a stranger, helped an elderly person to cross the road, or gave an apple or lollipop to a child, for no reason other than just to be kind hearted?

Society has forgotten the fundamentals. Making others feel good translates to better feelings for us, although it is best not to do things for the purposes of selfishness in mind. Compassion is described as “the feeling of empathy for others” which can be difficult to do when people are already consumed with overwhelming feelings from work, social or family obligations. Yet, this very feeling that is derived out of compassion can transcend in many ways, as we have seen in examples such as “Random Acts of Kindness”.

Many people have an attitude that is self-serving, in other words, “Nobody helps me, so why should I help anyone else?” or, “I barely make ends meet, so I can’t part with anything to help someone else.” These are erroneous ways of thinking. To have a desire to help the sick, tired, hungry or needy is an instinct that has been abandoned by the human race.

At CARE, INC. we are not just in the business of care; we are in the business of compassion. So in this blog, we want to just remind people of the many benefits they can experience by adopting these four easy ways to make someone feel great. The good news is that you can typically do any of these things in just under four minutes, or in some cases, four seconds.

4 Ways to Extend Kindness to Others (for no reason at all):

Give thanks and appreciation. How often have we ever gone for a cup of coffee and been greeted with a barely audible and seemingly-scripted greeting? You can change a person’s outlook with such simple, yet powerful words. “Thank you. I really appreciate you.”

Pay a compliment. You may run into someone who looks stressed out, discombobulated, disheveled or upset. This is a time to bring a smile to their face when they need it most. Find something (anything!) to compliment that person on to bring their focus away from whatever is upsetting them. It really works! “I like your earrings; they make your whole face sparkle.” It could be anything

Give When it Counts Most. When you see folks who are down on their luck, give them something useful. A cup of coffee, a sandwich, or a couple of dollars for a bus ride can literally save their day! There are times when humans need one other to get through life, but many people refuse to help the fallen ones. That is when we are called upon to help the most.

Smile and look people in the eyes. These days, it has become increasingly difficult to spot happy people. At the grocery store, in their cars, or even while running errands, people go through life on “autopilot”. Some appear angry and unhappy about trivial things, such as having to wait in line. Look around you. People have their heads buried in mobile devices or just seem frazzled. Smiling and looking at people face-to-face has become a learned skill, rather than something that comes naturally. Try it! You may discover that the person who is happier now, is YOU!

Make these four small and easy gestures something you commit to at least once a day, every day. Watch the amazing benefits unfold before your very eyes, as you extend compassion upon others; then the kindness reverts back to you. Plus, it will make your days a whole lot brighter than merely living in your own private world.

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4 Ways to Make Others Feel Good in Less Than 4 Minutes

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