Just thought I’d give all of you a nice list of things to think about. This isn’t an in-depth post, but more of a thought for the day — is there someone you’d like to make happy today?
Making others happy is one of the best ways to have a great day yourself. It can brighten the world around you.
This list is just to spark some ideas, and please note that not every item on this list is appropriate for every person in your life. I trust you to figure out which actions go with which people.
Make someone happy today!
- Smile.
- Help them carry something.
- Send a thank-you email.
- Call just to see how they’re doing.
- Pick them flowers.
- Cook them a nice meal.
- Tell a joke and laugh your butts off.
- Clean.
- Write a love letter to a loved one.
- Give them a cherished book.
- Bake cookies.
- Praise them publicly.
- Thank them for a job well done.
- Listen.
- Be there when they’re in need.
- Give a free hug.
- Spend time with them, having fun.
- Do errands or chores for them.
- Say I love you.
- Help them get ahead.
- Be proud of them.
- Babysit if they need it.
- House sit if they need it.
- Buy them movie tickets.
- Create a care package.
- Coffee. Mmmm.
- List the things you love about them.
- Secretly leave them thank you notes.
- Give a back rub when appropriate.
- Deliver a nice lunch to them when they’re having a rough day.
- Love them, completely.
- Be happy yourself.
Any ideas on how to make people happy? Add them in the comments!
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93 brilliant comments
Great list, Leo!
33. Clear their inbox for them. Inbox zero! :D
Great list, Leo. Here’s my contribution:
Love them without saying a word.
Forgive them for anything you think they’ve done to you.
Bow to them.
I love that your #1 was smile. I am a big fan of smiling.
I thought it was interesting that the Chinese performers during the Olympic opening ceremonies had been instructed to smile more to project good will.
Living in the city in the US, I think smiling at strangers lets them know that you noticed them as human beings and found them worthy of good will. I’m always surprised how many people will slow down and smile back.
I smiled at myself. I am Happy!!! :)
Appreciate the next person you meet….
Cheers
Thomas Herold
CEO Dream Manifesto
Smile, smile, and smile some more! I’m glad it’s number one on the list!
I don’t think I can add anything - this is great - what a fun post!
“Listen” is a big one. I read somewhere that during conversation, people tend to form their next sentence in their head while the other person is still talking! So, we don’t really listen. We’re just getting ready for our turn. Really listening takes practice, and is a wonderful way to show true respect for another person.
Leo - Love is to express. The best way to express love is by showing unconditional love. By giving without expecting anything in return.
Shilpan
Share any of the 200 Happiness Quotes from http://shanelyang.com/2008/07/26/200-happiness-quotes/ ! : )
if that’s kate moss (above) then i’m smiling
life only gets better when you do.
making someone happy makes you better
#33. Write a post on “32 Ways to Make Someone Happy Today” :-0)
Shamelle
As always - Great List Leo!
I’d like to add - Compliment them. People always cheer up with a compliment. compliment men on the ties they wear.
This list made me smile! :D Thank you!
Thank you kindly, for this list :)
clean.
thanks. a good one for most of us guys.
Love the short and sweet happy tips, Leo.
I also find that others are over-the moon when you:
* always act yourself with them
* are honest and act with integrity in all your dealings with them
… and the very best thing about making someone else happy?
It makes YOU happy too! :-)
Take something they think is upsetting and make it seem funny.
I like it, so simply yet effective; Great stuff Leo.
Can I suggest more non-listy posts? The blog seems to be full of a lot of social bait lately (of course it is fine from time to time), I would like to hear more about your own life and personal experiences.
Cheers,
Glen
Love this list!
I like to leave little notes around for random people to find:
“You are beautiful.”
“Today, something amazing will happen to you.”
“People love to see you smile.”
“You’ve changed someone’s life for the better.”
Thanks for the great feedback and comments!
@Glen Allsop: I do try for a mix, but I really think in lists so that’s a natural way for me to write. You should see my Moleskine notebook — full of lists! :)
But your point is taken and I’ll try to mix it up more. I should add, though, that this list was in no way meant to be “link-baity”. :)
If people just do one of things You listed here a week, at least, the World would be a far better place to live.
There is nothing hard in saying joke a day :)
Keep the great work here!
you need to already have many people you love for most of these things.
the only people around me are my coworkers, and some friends that I see once in a while. I don’t really love them.
I would like to add:
Acknowledge someone for something their originality. whether it be for an idea, viewpoint, or what they are wearing…
We are all unique, and it is important to recognize.
PS. I love your lists
Great list Leo! I’d have t agree that smiling is always the best medicine.
Leo, Motivate Thyself, I too believe that smiling the best. It’s simple, and it can have the greatest impact on anyone.
One of the topic our HTC team mentioned about was smiling as the best guest service ever. Where ever we each worked at, our goal for the week was to get clients/customers/guests/co-workers to smile by smiling at them. It’s such a great feeling to help people kick it up a notch. Cheers!
I’m not a fan of lists, but this is a gooda one. Nice work Leo.
This are really great post. It make me happy
Nice, Leo, thanks. It’d be interesting to see how the list would develop if we each added a different item daily for a month, and see how we would change ourselves if each day we truly practiced the latest addition at every opportunity. I bet the results would be amazing.
Along that line, perhaps you’d like to do a more in-depth article in the future on how to apply the theory in less than ideal circumstances. Sometimes, the hard part is remembering to do even the smallest (greatest) of these when obstacles are great—like smile and love them completely (usually with own mouth closed). I’d be interested in your thoughts.
Thanks for this post. I’m going to start, yet again, my own 30-day trial. Practice, practice… ;)
Really listen to them. :)
A real world example of the effects of smiling…
When I used to work in retail sales I would look people in the eyes and smile all the time. This, for me, was just part of the job. But this habit would always stick with me for a few hours after work until I got back into my little shell. So I might go to the grocery store after work and while going down the isles I would naturally look people in the eyes and smile. They would generally smile back and I could just tell they would relax a little bit in that moment. But, let’s say it was my day off and I was grocery shopping. In this case I would tend to just keep to myself. No one smiled at me and everyone just did their thing.
By smiling at someone you are letting them know that you are OK with them. It’s kind of a way of openly letting your guard down. This tends to get others to do the same. The end result of this kind of mutual submission and acceptance tends to give the participants a sense of peace and comfort.
So you hit the nail on the head with that one, Leo!
Great List and good things to build into everyday life!
Thanks for sharing!
After reading this, at least I can say I accomplished #1. :)
http://yinvsyang.com/
very simple things to follow. we can be more creative in our daily life. I will try it.
Thanks Leo.
wonderful list leo!
my contribution:
-express your gratitude for the helpful or nice things they do that seem to go unnoticed
my late ex used to warm up my car for me before i left for work on cold frosty mornings (in the days before remote car starters)… bliss!
This drills down what it takes to put yourself in another’s shoes and doing what you think would bring them the most happiness at that moment. This strengthens our skills of empathy, which helps actually helps us to become happier. Thanks, Leo!
This is a thoughtful list and I agree with so many of the comments about smiling…it has the potential to create a connection with people and I have found people respond to a smile.
Another idea is that when people thank you for doing something for them, respond by saying “It’s my pleasure.” For some reason that statement adds to the feel good quality already there and sort of deepens it.
Thank you Leo for such a wonderful start to my Monday!
Cindy
When you make some one happy, you make your self happy too.
just reading that list made me happy :)
You can generally do #1 each and every time you see someone, and the whole time you are meeting with them :)
Love this list. I do a lot of things to make people around me happy, when I’m able to. I’ve found that I enjoy my co-workers much more (and vice versa) now that I’ve offered to help or helped them when they have too much work, and I look forward to being around them. I like the smile thing, too, but I’ve found that when I smile at men or compliment their ties, they often seem to think I’m flirting and they feel uncomfortable. Must be something I’m doing that I’m not aware of.
Like all of us, I like for forward humorous emails, but I make sure I send only the most hilarious and spare them the duds or half-funny ones.
I love to hold the door for people, even big strong men, especially the UPS and Fed Ex guys. Sometimes they don’t want to be seen as “weak” and will refuse to go before me, but that’s okay. If I see a woman who’s really frazzled, sometimes I add, “After YOU!” with a smile, which cheers them up a little.
If I’m feeling silly, when I first see a friend or co-worker — for example, Leo, I may say something like this, “Now starring, on center stage… LEO!!!” Always gets a big smile.
Great list! Just reading it makes me smile :-)
Do something useful — something that will make them happy in the long term.
IE: Tell them about Zen Habits.
I have a problem with this on a couple of different levels.
1) Isn’t this stroking our own egos with the illusion it’s for someone else’s benefit? Shouldn’t one do kind things to/for others simply to do kind things? Regardless of reward or response?
2) It’s also a bit arrogant. Don’t other people have the ability and right to control/own their own states? If we can “make” them happy, then we also have to claim that we can make them angry, sad, bored, etc. So does this mean others have no responsibility for their own emotions? You have the ability behave as you choose, and others have the ability to respond as they choose.
A disappointing post today, weighed down by ego and arrogance (or is that redundant?).
Leo - Great list. #33 Remember their Birthday.
I’d like to add “visit lots of fledging bloggers’ sites, leave lots of comments, and link to them” — but I don’t want to make Vered blush. ;-)
Leo: If it could be practical to reduce the list down to just one item, what would it be?
Perhaps we could reduce it down to one “philosophy” and let the readers decide the answers: “Throughout your life, find out what it is that people need and give it to them.”
Once we apply this philosophy, we become more attuned to people’s needs, rather than giving them what we think they need…
Smiling and opening a door make for a great start; however, if we do not pay attention, we will not realize that the other person wanted us to notice their new haircut instead…
Thanks for the useful post…
Kent (The Financial Philosopher)
Go the second mile. Especially if your not asked.
Great post! (p.s. - I think in lists too.)
My husband has the capacity to Do Something a Bit Crazy to make people laugh:
Ask waitresses in a thick Southern accent, “Do y’all accept two-party checks from Iowa here?”
Make the sound of a cricket in a very quiet elevator.
Take a noisy, flashing “ray gun” toy to work for a day.
Leo,
i felt so good abt reading thru ur post…so much so tht i translated it into my vernacular language, ‘malayalam’ (s.indian)…its a variation of sanskrit.. hope this wud help the non english speaking population out here.. Link: http://startonomics.blogspot.com/2008/08/blog-post_11.html
Amazing List. How about instead of just a back rub, a full massage? That would be great.
Thanks for everything Leo!!
my add:
- put their favorite music, make a little sing & dance time!
These are really sweet tips on how to make someone happy today..^^ I will definitely forward this to my friends and loved ones..^^
I like to create gift baskets with the other person’s favorite things in it (their favorite movies on DVD, pop corn, and movie candy; scented bath products; a book they’ve been wanting to read with a great coffee mug and some flavored coffee, and so on).
Making other people happy is definitely one of the best ways to make yourself happy.
I thought of this when I read Ohman’s comment about the list being targeted to people you are already close to.
-When you see someone that you have met before, greet them by name. Comment on or ask them about something you have spoken with them about before, or something you know about them (ie. Have you been golfing recently? How’s that new baby?). It is a simple way to show them that you were really listening and that you care. It may even open up conversations and friendship opportunities, but if nothing else, it made someone else feel important and good about themselves!
#1.5 - Smile back!
Thanks for the list Leo.
One of the things I’ve done is write a “Gratitude Letter” to a friend or worker that I really appreciate. The idea is that you write a letter indicating all the specific things you’re grateful for in that individual.The important part is being specific. Don’t just say, “I’m grateful for your friendship.” but “I’m grateful for the time when you looked after my Mom when I was too ill to see her.”
The next step, after you’ve written your letter, is to arrange a time when you can meet your friend and read your letter to them. Tell them that they’re to say nothing until you’ve finished.
From my experience people are truly appreciative and really happy at receiving your “Gratitude Letter”. Seeing your friend happy makes you feel good too! It’s a win,win situation.
forgive.
PLAY A BOB MARLEY SONG LOUDLY (WITH LOTS OF BASS).
POSITIVE VIBRATIONS/\/\/\/\/\
# Be happy yourself. ….
i like this one :D
Hey Leo
What about: Give a friend a jar of jam you have just made.
I did and boy did it make them happy.
Great list!
proud to be a muslim because most of them are duties for us :)
I appreciate the comments, my friends.
@John Clapton: a homemade jar of jam sounds like a great idea!
@M: “Forgive” is a great one … I thought of it after I published the list and wished I’d included it, so thank you!
@TriGuy: I don’t think it’s egotistical to try to make someone else happy. You can ascribe selfish motivations to any actions if you like, but I don’t see how that’s useful. Whether the motivations are selfish or not, making someone else happy is a good thing. Let’s try to see it in that positive light!
Laughing your butt off sounds like a good way to lose weight.
(cue laughter)
Break wind? I can never get over how ridiculous the trumpet sound is. Disgusted or not it still makes people laugh which releases tension (and they can feel slightly superior for a minute or two). Zen? Deep? Probably not. Honest? Yes.
@Michael Henreckson: True! Unfortunately it makes it painful to sit.
#7 quite especially! I believe if there were a World Joke Day then once per year, for 15 minutes, everyone would tell the closest nearby person a joke, and for that 15 minutes there would be world peace. It might get addictive!
(Please tell me a joke from some culture vastly different from mine! I’d be curious.)
33. Share this list.
It sure made me smile!
Thank you!
Lovely post.
Cheers from Brazil
v (=^_^=)
Need someone, appreciate help and thank him/her.
@Xiane — Near my workplace there’s a mailbox that has a sticker inside saying “You are beautiful.” that you won’t see until you open the thing to put mail in. It’s very personal and it’s awesome to watch people drop mail in it and walk away with a big smile.
A good article with valuable information. Thank you for that. The list is very good.
Surprise them with a kiss
I am so glad that you put Smile as the first one. Smile is very contagious. If you smile at the world, the world will smile back at you.
the happiest blog on earth is just one of the site that make people happy. Sharing happiness with other will bring more joy to the world.
I also like to give free hug or simply tab on people’s shoulder. It simply give people some warm feelings.
I like the smile! it always works in hallways.
-go on a walk with them
Listen to them, no interruption, no advices, no “I told you”. just listen with eye contact.
Thanks for the list Leo!
I have a 19 month old son. We often just spend a few moments looking into each others’ eyes. It makes him very happy when I am simply present with him. Being present for another human being is a great gift to give and one that offers a simple happiness!
i like the list,I find that the presence of an emotion is contagouse. so i try to lite the room with a smill and filling conversation with happy thoughts interns spreads the feeling. just taking the time out to think of another helps to make them feel happy intern makes you happy
i agree with tina. the simple act of reading this entry made me smile from ear to ear. i’m ready to spread some happiness! thanks, leo.
“We all have the power to give away love, to love other people. And if we do so, we change the kind of person we are, and we change the kind of world we live in.”-Rabbi Harold Kushner
Buy them the nicest pair of socks that they’ve ever gotten. No one ever gets them for themselfs and a nice pair of socks really make a difference. My freinds laughed at this, but then said that they appreciated the socks every time they put them on and then started picking up socks for others. This is especially good for the people who seem to have everything- try it!
thank you
that is just what i need to read
keep smile in your heart also it will show
Amar e ser amado, e tudo o que posso vos desejar neste momento, e que todos vocês sejam muito felizes…
i always beleive give others a compassionate feeling of luv, understanding and listen to what others say at the time when they are feeling low.
n of course smile can cure everything in the world.
drop candy in there pockets to make suprises
Hi, Its a great list.
My contribution:
- Give your loved ones strength and trust that you are always on their side.
- Give them a feeling that they are special, Do love them don’t judge them.
- Do spend time with them; let them know they are actually an important part of your life.
Cheers,
Rajiv Sharma
Spread some goodwill by giving something away to the less fortunate or as a personal gift to a friend. After all, what you can’t give away owns you.
ps. love the candy idea. Thanks.
35. Don’t make them angry in the first place. x3
My nickname is Smiles. Even when I am having a bad day. i am always smiling.
Great List.
Smiling is great. It makes people around you feel at ease like most of you have said.
Being helpful. Like when your the passenger in someone’s car, and they are trying to open a bottle of pop, and they’re struggling, take it off them and do it. Always makes me Smile :)!
Send Them Smileys through Facebook and Zaazu. Hehehe.
Here’s what:
If you are into facebook, you can check out this newly built facebook app featuring Zaazu Smileys. Here’s the link: http://apps.facebook.com/zaazu_fb/
Thanks!
Good list to be happy and makes other happy too. Actually we often forget all these things and loose control and thus not only loose our own happiness but also hurt others.
My favourite has always been to identify a little thing that makes their life easier.
I hate coming home from a ‘messy’ work day to a messy house - an unmade bed for some reason just makes our whole room look a mess. I leave first in the morning, so my partner always makes the bed for me.
The trade off is he finds it hard to get moving in the morning, so I take an extra two minutes to get everything he needs for breakfast out and leave it on the bench.
Of course we both make sure we always say thank you for the gesture, even if it happens every day.
Oh - and I call my parents at least once a week just to say hi. They really do appreciate it.
:)
these are wonderful examples
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