Latest Blogs

THERE YOU ARE!

A very wise person once said, "There are two types of people. Those who walk into a room and say, 'here I am' and those who walk into a room and say, 'there you are!'" That second type of person is the best! And we have the choice to be that type of person, it's not a trait decided for us at birth. The simple helps this week are all practical ways to say, "there you are" with our actions. When we focus on others instead of just ourselves, our world gets bigger and so much better.

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of October 26 - October 30

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Share someone’s uplifting social media post on your own.
• Tuesday - Thank a person who makes your life easier.
• Wednesday - Use a kind voice all day.
• Thursday - Pick a cause and start saving all your loose change to make a donation. (Been doing this awhile? Then donate it today.)
• Friday - Cut someone some slack.

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Share this with your friends. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram.

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BETTER TOGETHER

Someone once said, "Shared joy is double joy, and shared sorrow is half sorrow."  And I'm sure you've found it to be true if you've ever shared either of those emotions. But why is it true? One reason might be that we were made to function best as part of a community. Going it alone is like going without food; we can do it for a while, but not forever. It's not a weakness, it's a source of strength. The simple helps this week will make us stronger and better together, because shared joy is double joy.

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of October 19 - October 23

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Tell a parent what you appreciate about the way they parent.
• Tuesday - Surprise someone with a flower or their favorite snack.
• Wednesday - Write an uplifting message on a sticky note and put it on someone’s mirror.
• Thursday - Ask a student to tell you something they like about school this year.
• Friday - Play Freerice  (Fun for ages 8 to 88. This online game is part of the UN World Food Programme. Ten grains of rice are donated to people in need each time you answer a question. )

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Share this with your friends. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram

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KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE

Back in the 80s, G.I. Joe did an ongoing series of PSAs that always ended with the same catchphrase, "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle." It was a catchphrase, but at the same time, a benediction. It could sneak past the viewer, but there is huge and hidden encouragement in those words. Good works are right in front of you. You don't have to worry about trying to figure out what to do, because now you know. This week's simple helps are based off wise words from wise people. We know what to do, and that's half the battle.

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of October 12 - October 16

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Do a little bit to help somebody. “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” - Edmond Burke
• Tuesday - Show love in your doing for someone. “It is how much love we put in the doing that makes our offering something beautiful.” - Mother Teresa
• Wednesday - Extend sympathy to someone who needs to know you care. “To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.” - Abraham Lincoln
• Thursday - Help someone anonymously. “The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.”― Thomas Carlyle
• Friday - Be a good example. “A good example has twice the value of good advice.”― Author Unknown.

Be awesome. Make someone's day.  Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

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WISHING OTHERS WELL

Sometimes, especially when big elections are getting close, it can get harder to see the best in everyone. Is it our filter that changes, or is it everyone around us changing? The solution is the same either way. Wishing others well changes us and it changes those around us. And it's most effective when "wishing" is a transitive verb -- an action with an object its working on -- instead of the sterile, intransitive "I wish!" This week, let's go help people by wishing them well in simple, actionable ways. Seeing the best in everyone is up to us.- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of October 5 - October 9

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Write “Thank you for collecting our trash!” on the outside of an envelope, put $5 inside, and tape it to your garbage can for the trash collector.
• Tuesday - Give someone a socially distanced air hug.
• Wednesday - Promote someone else’s good ideas and give them the credit!
• Thursday - Give someone a head’s up about something that would be helpful for them to know.
• Friday - Thank someone for wearing a mask.

Be awesome. Make someone's day.  Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

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BIG THINGS IN SMALL PACKAGES 

This saying is often true of physical gifts, but it is always true of gifts we give with our actions. How big of a deal is it for us to give a couple of minutes of our day? Usually, it's very simple to help (hence the name!), and yet it's easy to choose against it. Why? Sometimes, it's not because the effort is too big, but because it doesn't feel big enough. How big of a difference can small gestures make? Honestly, it's almost always a much bigger impact than we can see. Big things come in small packages. A simple help performed this week can change the trajectory of someone's entire day. That small thing is worthwhile, even if we often don't get to see how.

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.
- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of September 21 - September 25

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Let someone in if you're in traffic today. Bonus points for doing it more than once!
• Tuesday - Place a few coins where kids are most likely to find them.
• Wednesday - Think of something you have that you don’t need. Who do you know that would love to have it? Give it to them with this note, “I think this should belong to you.”
• Thursday - Make a card for a hospitalized kid: http://www.cardsforhospitalizedkids.com/make-cards.html
• Friday - Surprise someone with an unexpected text or call.

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

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WISDOM, INTELLIGENCE, AND KINDNESS

 Someone once described the difference between wisdom and intelligence: "Intelligence is knowing that Frankenstein was the name of the doctor, not the monster. Wisdom is understanding that Dr. Frankenstein actually was the monster." Wisdom helps us see below the surface. It makes information meaningful through a lens of experience. That's why the simple helps this week are based on the wise words of some wise people. Creating meaningful change in the world requires the wisdom to see below the surface, and the kindness to help change it! This week we can bring both -- wisdom and kindness -- to a world that needs it.

 - You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of September 14 - September 18

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Tell someone what talents you see in them. “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” -  Benjamin Disraeli
• Tuesday - Help someone carry their burdens (physical and/or emotional). “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” -  Charles Dickens
• Wednesday - Cheer others’ victories. “We need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits.” - Jim Stovall
• Thursday - Do a chore that someone else usually handles.  “We can't help everyone but everyone can help someone.” - Ronald Reagan
• Friday - Look for a way to be helpful to someone.  “Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.” - Sally Koch

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Share this with your friends. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

SHARING IS CARING 

We've all heard that saying repeated many times! A funny thing happens sometimes with repetition: it makes it easier to remember the words and harder to remember the truth behind them. Sharing really is an action that shows someone you care about them. Whether it's good news, a kind word, or a bit of information (like this Tuesday's action!), people feel included when we share. This week's simple helps seek to accomplish just that. Share with people, and in so doing we will care for them. It's a simple way to make an effort for community rather than settle for acquaintances. 

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of September 7 - September 11

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Wish everyone a Happy Labor Day!
• Tuesday - Learn something new and share it with a friend. You can start here.
• Wednesday - Tell someone “don’t give up!”
• Thursday - Be patient with people.
• Friday - Tell someone about Simple.Help
  
  

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Share this with your friends. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Is Facebook a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on the faces! Specifically, it depends on the people and the words and kindnesses they share. A tool that connects hundreds of millions of people can magnify the effects of our social connections in a powerful way. This week, our simple helps are focused on using that tool for good! Because, ironically, we can use Facebook to help people without being face-to-face with them. We can be the faces -- the people -- that make Facebook a good thing.

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of August 31 - September 4

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Post a kind word on a teacher’s Facebook timeline.
• Tuesday - Post a kind word on a relative’s Facebook timeline.
• Wednesday - Post a kind word on a first responder’s Facebook timeline.
• Thursday - Post a kind word on a leader’s Facebook timeline.
• Friday - Post a kind word on the Facebook timeline of a person who would be most surprised by that.

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Share this with your friends. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram

Better vs. Best

The best version of what we can accomplish is often what keeps us from becoming better. It's easy to enter into a fictional scenario of our best imaginable self vs. a real choice in front of us that looks less heroic. Choosing to run into a collapsing building to save a loved one? That imaginary choice is easy! And, very satisfying. Choosing to help someone out at work so they can go grab a snack (check out Tuesday!)... that real choice can be hard. The simple helps this week are simple like always. But that doesn't mean they are easy. This week, let's choose to make the real world better even if it doesn't match the "best" we'd imagine. It's how we can make the world a better place!

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of August 24 - August 28

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Ask someone to tell you something that  they did for a stranger that  they are glad they did.
• Tuesday - Make it possible for someone to take a break.
• Wednesday - Help someone who can’t repay you.
• Thursday - Listen to someone without having to add your own story to what they’ve said.
• Friday - Put an extra umbrella in your car to give to someone who needs it.

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Share this with your friends. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram

TO HAVE A FRIEND, BE A FRIEND

There's a story in the Bible where some people asked Jesus "who's my neighbor?" Who knows what kind of answer they were looking for, but the one they got was certainly unexpected. He basically said, "Go be nice to people! Then you're their neighbor." The answer was wisdom they could put to use, rather than knowledge that wouldn't help anyone. To have a friend, go be a friend! It's still true today. Our neighbors are determined biographically rather than geographically. And that's what the simple helps are about this week!

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 17 - AUGUST 21

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Give someone a flower. Can’t hand them a real one? Text a picture of one.
• Tuesday - Tell someone why you respect them.
• Wednesday - Encourage a parent who has chosen to have their kids learning at school.
• Thursday - Encourage a parent who has chosen to have their kids learning at home.
• Friday - Check in on a neighbor.

Be awesome. Make someone's day.  Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

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DO, OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY...                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Master Yoda spoke those words to Luke Skywalker in a Dagobah swamp; it was a long time ago in a galaxy far away, but the words still hold true. We often focus on the action these words encourage -- the "do" -- but there's a second part to the phrase we overlook. Sometimes avoiding an action, or an error, or a mistake is just as valuable. "Do not" is oftentimes the wisest course to take. This week's simple helps all focus on ways to "do not" and make the world around us a better place. 

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.

- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of August 10 - August 14

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Don’t complain.
• Tuesday - Don’t nag.
• Wednesday - Don’t procrastinate.
• Thursday - Don’t interrupt.
• Friday - Don’t be defensive.

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Share this with your friends. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT...

Some days feel easier than others. There are days when life feels a little more effortless, when we can give our help to others from our own position of abundance. Those are great days. But they aren't the days we grow. The days that make us better, stronger, and more useful are the tough days. There are days when we don't feel like we've got enough energy to finish the race in front of us... let alone help a fellow traveler. Those are the days that matter most. Easy days are gifts. Hard days are opportunities. Let's go help people this week when we feel like it, and even more when we don't.

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.
- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of August 3 - August 7

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Write a long overdue thank you text or email.
• Tuesday - Step out of someone’s way.
• Wednesday - Promise yourself to tell the next unsolicited caller you hear from that you wish them well and hope they will have a nice day.
• Thursday - Thank someone who is helping others during this COVID-19 crisis.
• Friday - Wear or use a gift in the presence of the one who gave it to you.

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

PERSPECTIVE ON SMALL THINGS

The simple helps this week are simple just like every week. Committing to them can be hard because of that. Big, grandiose gestures are more exciting. It's more compelling to "go big" than to "go small." But the truth is, a simple, small action for us can look entirely different from another perspective. Namely, from the perspective of the recipient of our kindness. Our "small" gift can (and usually does) have an impact far bigger than we can see from our perspective. Don't let the packaging fool you, big gifts come in the small things.

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.
- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

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For the week of July 27 - July 31

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Deal with the fault of another as gently as your own.
• Tuesday - Give this honest feedback to someone, “You make me want to be a better person.”
• Wednesday - Encourage a parent.
• Thursday - If you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all.
• Friday - Visit donorschoose.org and discover ways you can help a teacher.

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

ATTENTION DEFICIT

It feels like nowadays there's a greater deficit in our attention than ever. Ironically, it's not because there's nothing to keep our attention; it's because we've got so many things trying to keep our attention. We've got more connections than ever (good!), and it can lead to difficulty giving enough attention to the connections that matter most. This week, w our simple helps are aimed at an attention surplus for the people in our lives who need it. 

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.
- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

For the week of July 20 - July 24

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Surprise someone with five minutes of your undivided attention.
• Tuesday - Write an uplifting message on a sticky note and put it on someone’s mirror.
• Wednesday - Go through photos on your phone and send someone a favorite or two with an encouraging text.
• Thursday - Return something you borrowed.
• Friday - Go out of your way to show someone respect.

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!
 

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WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME...

Each day comes with opportunities to create memories. And we (usually) get a choice on how good those memories are. When was the last time you had a moment you look back on fondly? It's almost certainly a moment you shared with someone else: a kind exchange with a stranger, a choice to give time to a friend instead of being too busy, or maybe just some encouraging words. For those moments and all the other good ones, "when was the last time?" is a question that brings joy with the memory. For those same moments, "when is the next time?" is a question that offers hope for the future. "When is the next time?" is the question that can change lives, and it's the question we can answer this week. We can create fond memories with simple help this week.

- You can reference Simple Help using "@gohelpsomebody" on FB, Twitter or Instagram.
- Add the hashtag "#simplehelp" to any related post on social media. Use it, and the whole tribe of helpers can easily see ways we are making a difference!

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FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 13 - JULY 17

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Keep a promise.
• Tuesday - Give random compliments to people throughout the day like “nice shirt” or “love your hair”.
• Wednesday - Give someone the space they need.
• Thursday - Do your best to calm someone’s fear.
• Friday - Register to vote: www.usa.gov/register-to-vote. Already a voter? Encourage someone who isn’t already registered to do so.

Be awesome. Make someone's day. Join the rest of us this week and go help somebody! To see each day’s Simple.Help in your Facebook feed Monday through Friday click here and hit “LIKE” or follow Simple.Help on Instagram!

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