Maybe the solution isn't to buy more, to consume more, to work more, but to give more. Imagine waking up in the morning feeling incredible, inspired, and invincible. Imagine waking up feeling like that EVERY DAY.
This isn't a sales pitch for a pill, a membership, or some miracle retreat. The solution is not only free, it's also insanely simple.
We all have an image of ourselves as a hero. The person who, when you come across someone standing at the ledge of a bridge wanting to jump, can say the exact right things to talk them back.But what if being a hero is not talking someone off from the ledge, but saying "how are you doing?" Before they make that decision.
Numerous studies have proven, again and again, that doing a single act of kindness, repeated daily over several days, can raise your endorphins and serotonin levels (those are the chemicals that help make you feel happy, by the way!) Not only that, but even REMEMBERING the acts of kindness you’ve done can lower your stress levels (specifically, a chemical called cortisol).
The truth is, most of us are actually really kind at heart, we just forget to take actions. Or we inflate the idea of what kindness should be in our minds and we procrastinate it. The truth is, even the smallest acts like buying someone an act of coffee or writing a note of appreciation can add up to improve your happiness.
You have the power to be part of a tribe who, like you, want to make the world a greater place.
In a large US study of over 3000 participants, 90% of people who participated in
an act of kindness felt immediately happier, more optimistic, and greater self-esteem
in their day, and 80% said that the feeling lasted for hours and even days.
-The Healing Power of Doing Good, Allan Luks
In another 2001 study conducted by Vanderbilt University, it was concluded
that regular acts of kindness and volunteering led to improvements in six areas
in their lives: happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life,
physical health and depression.
-P. A Thoits and L.N. Hewitt, "Volunteer Work and Well-being", Journal of Health and Social Behavior
