I saw this article this morning, and it made my day – we all need to try some of these things:
50 ways to be ridiculously generous ā and feel ridiculously good.
I realized ā many years ago ā that when I behave generously, I feel rich. And I like to feel rich. So I choose to be generous.
But ābehaving generouslyā doesnāt necessarily mean ādonating moneyā or āgiving away your last cookie.ā
You can share knowledge freely, instead of hoarding it. You can send a hand-written note, instead of a text message. You can make eye contact, instead of checking out. You can make a life-changing introduction for a friend, instead of letting them āconnect the dotsā on their own.
You can do big things. Small things. Simple things. All kinds of things.
You will never run out of ideas. You will never run out of love. You will only create more.

What would happen if ā¦
You said āthank youā 50 different ways, to 50 different people, every day, for the next 50 days?
The possibilities are beyond imagining, but one thingās for certain:
Youāre about to become everybodyās favorite person.
Starting today, join me in 50 days of ridiculous, shocking generosity.
You donāt need to āprepare.ā
You donāt have to ābuy anything.ā
You donāt need to āgive it some thought.ā
You donāt have to āclear space on your calendar.ā
You just need to fold generosity into your day, in little ways, every day.
Here are 50 prompts and possibilities to inspire you.
(Itās going to feel so good.)
Day 1: Compliment three strangers: a child, someone your own age, and an elder. Congratulate them on something highly-specific ā āWay to rock that tricycle, kiddo!ā ā or simply say: āYou look lovely today.ā
Day 2: Find a Little Free Library near you and donate a book. Canāt find one? Start one.
Day 3: That public radio station or podcast youāve been streaming for months ā or years? Become a member. Donāt put it off. And while youāre at it? Send a gushing, praise-filled email to the production team.
Day 4: Find a blogger whoās been slammed with mean comments lately. Send them a love note. Tell them to keep writing.
Day 5: Choose a local show ā improv! stand-up comedy! storyslam! indie rock! ā and bring a MASS AVALANCHE of friends. Scream. Cheer. Make the hardworking, little-thanked performers feel like superstars.
Day 6: Choose a struggling (or not so struggling) artist and publicly thank them on Twitter, Insta, or somewhere else on the Internet. āI love your work. Please keep going.ā
Day 7: Choose a big-name celebrity that you admire and write them a genuine, heartfelt letter of thanks. Just to say, āYour work really moves me and I appreciate what you do.ā No ārequestā or āaskā or āgimmeā attached.
Day 8: Offer to take a photo of a sweet couple in love. When you email it to them, send along a GiftBit gift certificate, too ā for a bottle of wine, or a couple of coffees.
Day 9: See a bicycle with a basket parked on the street? Put flowers in it.
Day 10: Sponsor a local yoga class. Buy up 10 or 20 spots, and give them away to strangers. Or neighbors. Yoga for everybody!
Day 11: Tell a teenager: āYou are so brilliant. I canāt wait to see who you become. And I love who you are, right now.ā
Day 12: Tell your mom (or someone who feels like your mom): āYou raised me right. The biggest lesson Iāve learned from you? This: _______________.ā
Day 13: Tell your dad (or someone who feels like your dad): āYouāve given me so many gifts. Like the ability to _______________, and the confidence to _______________. Thank you.ā
Day 14: Be like Diane von Furstenberg and start your day by sending out one email specifically designed to help somebody else ā without directly benefiting you at all ā before you do anything else. Make introductions, send some encouragement, offer a helpful resource or link.
Day 15: Prowl through your closet and donate some treasures to Dress For Success ā or its equivalent in your country. Youāll de-clutter your wardrobe and help a struggling lady look like a star at her next job interview.
Day 16: Put away your smartphone and close down your inbox for a day (or just an hour). Give the world the gift of your undivided, non-digital attention.
Day 17: Experiment with Tonglen meditation: inhale suffering (yours and others), exhale compassion (for the whole world).
Day 18: Tip generously. Not sure how much? This is how much. Except double it.
Day 19: Record a Vocaroo message for someone youāve been meaning to thank for awhile. Tell them: āKeep this audio note and replay it whenever youāre doubting your awesomeness.ā
Day 20: Buy a meal for a stranger and start a magical chain reaction.
Day 21: Do somebody elseās laundry. Ask for nothing in return.
Day 22: Turn a photo from your smartphone into a real postcard. Send it.
Day 23: Give someone a grrrrreat massage. Hereās how.
Day 24: Get outlandishly excited about a small piece of good news from a friend. (āYou did WHAT? Just like THAT? Youāre AMAZING!ā) Model the kind of unbridled enthusiasm that you want to see in the world.
Day 25: Overwhelmed with things to read? Instead of cancelling your newspaper or magazine subscriptions, donate them to a local school for a few months (like this) till youāre ready to start receiving them again. Or not.
Day 26: Riding the bus? Waiting in line? Strike up a fascinating conversation with somebody who looks bored, sad or checked out. Start by simply asking: āWhat was the BEST part of your day?ā
Day 27: Applying for a job? Trying to woo a client? Or even just make a friend? Send them something useful and astonishingly generous ⦠before asking for anything. (It will change your world.)
Day 28: Create a generous āauto-responderā (sometimes called an āout of officeā message or āvacation auto replyā message) for your email ⦠full of links, resources, fun videos, answers to commonly asked questions, maybe a complimentary gift, or whatever else you want to include. This is such an easy way to offer people something inspiring, entertaining, helpful (or all of the above!) automatically. They can enjoy the cool stuff ⦠while they await your reply. (Want to see some creative examples? Check this out.) 
Day 29: Buy a massage for a veteran of war. (Just call a local massage therapist, make a payment, and then contact your local veteranās health administration and pass along the details.)
Day 30: Call up a friend whoās been having a rough time ā or just an agonizingly busy week. Say: āLet me vacuum for you.ā (They might weep.)
Day 31: Make a mixtape of uplifting, positive, soul-affirming tunes. Label it: āListen to this when you need to remember who you are.ā Leave the CD (or several copies) in a local coffeeshop.
Day 32: Send a story tip to a local reporter. (Especially if itās good news.)
Day 33: Leave a wrapped gift on top of your trashcan with a note for your friendly neighborhood waste disposal professional. They deal with unspeakable filth, every week, all for YOU.
Day 34: Brew up a big pot of (good) coffee. Fill up some eco-friendly disposable cups. Offer free java to everyone at work ā or the bus stop.
Day 35: Buy an Amazon gift for a total stranger. (Search wishlists here.)
Day 36: Four words: gourmet ice cream delivery.
Day 37: Choose a friend. Any friend. Grab a notebook. (Or ⦠this book.) Fill the book with love notes and compliments written by you, and other people, too. Give it to your friend, and tell them itās a High School Yearbook for the Soul.
Day 38: Make an 8Tracks or Spotify playlist for your favorite human. Extra credit: give your playlist a special āreasonā or ātheme,ā like, āListen to this while youāre getting ready for your first date with Zach!ā or, āPump-yourself-up music to play before you deliver your TEDx Talk. Youāre going to do GREAT.ā
Day 39: Leave a platter of treats in the common area of your office or apartment building. Extra credit: a handwritten card with an inspirational quote and a list of ingredients (for folks who are plagued with allergies).
Day 40: Pray for someone. Or if you donāt pray: send love.
Day 41: Nominate a talented friend for an award. Like The Bloggies. Or The Webbies. Or The Stevies. Or ⦠any other award in your city, state, country, etc. You could also make up an imaginary award (āBest Dog Walker of the Centuryā) and present it to someone you love.
Day 42: Help somebody land their dream job. Proof a friendās resume. Rock out a mock interview. Loan them your lucky blazer. Tell them: āYouāve got this.ā
Day 43: Volunteer to mentor an aspiring entrepreneur through your local SCORE chapter. (You donāt have to be an āexpertā or know āeverything.ā You just have to know a few things ⦠more than they do.)
Day 45: Leave a rave review on the iTunes page of your favorite podcast. Gush. Five stars. Bravo!
Day 46: Arrange a luxurious gift for a public school teacher. A concert pass. A nice bottle of wine. God, they need some love.
Day 47: Drag a friend ā kicking and screaming ā on stage to read a poem, do karaoke or tell a joke. Roar and cheer for them. Show them itās safe to be visible ā to be seen.
Day 48: Ask someone, āHow was your day ā really?ā Let that person talk about themselves, past the point of comfort. Lean in. Stay there. Be present. Let āem ramble. Give it that extra five minutes.
Day 49: Send a pizza to your best friendās office. Lunch = sorted. Surprise!
Day 50: Be ridiculous and shocking and start this 50-day cycle of generosity ⦠all over again. Just because you can.
Great ideas, eh? I know!!!! I LOVE these, and can’t wait to try some out!! Woohoo!!!
Xxx