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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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"TOGETHER" IS WORTH IT

It's usually simpler to do things alone. When we try to work together, there are other people's needs and emotions to consider. That's inherently more complicated. Working together requires us to flex "helping" muscles that sit unused and atrophic when we do life alone. But, as is usually the case, with more work comes more reward. There is more happiness and greater good in life together. The simple helps this week are focused on choosing to be a part of life together. It may be more work than being alone, but it's worth 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 6 - JULY 10

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Ask someone to tell you about their 4th of July.
• Tuesday - Do a favor for someone.
• Wednesday - Fill out the 2020 Census at www.2020census.gov
• Thursday - Share the title of the best book/movie/series you’ve enjoyed recently.
• Friday - Protect others: wear a mask in public settings.

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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NO STRAIGHT LINES

It's true that the quickest path between two points is a straight line. Not where you want to be or, perhaps, who you want to be? The quickest way to get to the place you want is a straight line of progress with no slip-ups. Only, that doesn't exist in the real world. There are innumerable faulty steps, falls, and outright failures on the way to our goals. And that's okay, because the quickest path isn't the only path. The journey towards becoming a better person may be a winding road, but all that matters is we keep walking it together. There are no straight lines there; so this week let's keep on the curvy path to the place, and towards the people, we want to be.

- 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 June 29 - July 3

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Post the website address of a charity organization that you want others to know about.
• Tuesday - Leave the best parking spot for someone else.
• Wednesday - Respond to everyone with your kindest voice.
• Thursday - Show love in a chore you do for someone.
• Friday - Wish everyone a Happy 4th of July Weekend!

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!

CHOOSING PRESENCE 

Our lives are so full of distractions that it starts to feel normal. It feels so normal that we even look for distractions when nothing is calling for our attention. It can start to feel unnatural to just be ...present. Being present in the moment with someone else means we're choosing to be there; we're choosing presence over the distractions with which we've grown comfortable. This week, our simple helps are focused on choosing to be present with people, rather than letting those moments get stolen by distractions. Life and relationships are more fun when they get our full attention.

- 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 June 15 - June 19

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Look into the eyes of the person talking to you.
• Tuesday - Invite someone to sign up to be part of the Simple.Help family at Simple.Help.
• Wednesday - Help someone who is going through something you’ve been through.
• Thursday - Ask someone, “What can I do to help you?”
• Friday - Wish someone a Happy Father’s Day Weekend!

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!

HOW TO SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS

It's easy to overestimate problems and underestimate our ability to help. Certainly, there are big problems out there; we're in no danger of overestimating their size. But if we're not careful, we can overestimate their invulnerability to change. It's often because we underestimate our ability to effect that change. No single act of kindness can write its own headline the way a catastrophe can. But those simple helps we offer are how we can change the world. We change headlines by impacting the story of people's lives in personal ways.

- 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 June 8 - June 12

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Start today; no judging another.
• Tuesday - Put an extra umbrella in your car to give someone who needs it.
• Wednesday - Make a list of someone’s best qualities and give it to them.
• Thursday - Check out this way to help someone who is blind: https://www.bemyeyes.com/
• Friday - Relay an overheard compliment.

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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Hope vs. Fear

Two big events happened this week. Two men flew to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocket, and American cities burned with riots in the streets. It was hope made contrast with fear. It was a vision of what's possible when we work together, on a backdrop of what's at stake when we're torn apart. And that's why the world needs you this week. It needs us. The Simple Helps this week aren't rocket science; they're simple. But rockets aren't the only way to lift us. Hope elevates us when it is dramatic and when it is simple. And it's exactly what the world needs right now.

- 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 June 1 - June 5

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Praise someone in front of others.
• Tuesday - Ask someone to talk to you about what means the most to them.
• Wednesday - Send a card to a kid in the hospital. http://www.cardsforhospitalizedkids.com/
• Thursday - Let someone go in front of you.
• Friday - Use your social media or email to let people know about a friend’s or acquaintance’s small business, blog, or website.

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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