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WORDS ARE WIND

Maybe you've heard the phrase, "words are wind." It's meant to have the negative connotation that words can't do much. Whoever first said "words are wind" probably wasn't thinking of tornadoes or hurricanes. They definitely weren't thinking of big ships powered only by the wind in their sails. Words (and wind) have power, whether or not we are choosing them wisely. This week, our simple helps revolve around a central idea: words chosen wisely. It's a chance to breathe life into those around us, instead of accidentally knocking them down.

Don't Forget:

- 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 February 17 - February 21

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Write a positive online review of a business you like.
• Tuesday - Tell someone you love that you are proud of them.
• Wednesday - Don’t interrupt anyone today.
• Thursday - Give someone the space they need.
• Friday - Use a kind voice all day.

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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END OF AN ERROR 

We're entering into the last month of 2021. It was a year with so many oddities that it sometimes felt like living through an historical error. It wasn't only error, though. There were bright spots of love and kindness. At times, 2021 held periods of discouragement. But times like that make every act of simple help shine that much brighter. This year may have had some errors, but we're balancing the ledger every time we choose to help. So let's go help somebody this week!

5 REASONS TO CELEBRATE 

One of the great traits of humanity is our capacity -- our nearly irrepressible compulsion -- to celebrate. Halloween, Thanksgiving, the holidays as a whole... people just agree with each other, "we should celebrate this day!" The earth revolved around the sun another time since you were born? Celebration! Bring out a big dessert and put candles on it! This week, the goal is to tap into our innate celebrative nature. There are holidays that you may or may not know about this week, leading up to a denouement of World Kindness Day on Saturday, November 13th! We have so much to celebrate.

- 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 November 8 - November 12

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - It’s National STEM Day! Thank someone who is working hard in the field of science or technology or engineering or math!
• Tuesday - It’s World Adoption Day! Cheer on an adoptive parent.
• Wednesday - It’s Forget-Me-Not Day! Let someone know that even though you haven’t been in touch lately, you care.
• Thursday - It’s Veterans Day! Thank a man or woman who served in the U.S. armed forces.
• Friday - It’s Chicken Soup For The Soul Day! Thank someone who brings  you comfort.

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!

TWO WRONGS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT

Of course they don't! We know this because we've heard it a million times. But, why did it become a phrase in the first place? It's because when someone wrongs you, it feels like the right response to wrong them in return. Reciprocity is built into us, for better or worse. For worse, it's the temptation toward two wrongs. At its best, it's a source of a positive reinforcement loop for us to love each other with increasing ease. Two rights make more rights. The Simple Helps we perform this week will show kindness to those around us and help kindness show up in those around us.

• Monday -  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.”
• Tuesday - Be on time. 
• Wednesday  Let someone besides you be in charge of the TV remote or car radio today.
• Thursday -   Don’t interrupt anyone today.
• Friday -  Dare to care. Engage in a short conversation with someone who is clearly disregarded by others.

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!

5 SENSES

We've got five senses designed for us to take in the world around us. All the good and bad in the world, we all take it in through each of these five senses. What if we were to target ways to use our senses to make more good and less bad? That's the goal this week! We can focus on the world around us with each of our senses, and find ways to make it better.

• Monday - When you SEE someone who could use a boost. Give them one.
• Tuesday -  Take a moment to TOUCH someone with a pat on the hand or the back.
• Wednesday - HEAR what someone says, but consider what they mean before responding.
• Thursday -  Give someone something that SMELLS really good.
• Friday - Give someone something that TASTES delicious.

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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DO YOUR BEST, BE YOUR BEST

Sometimes we feel our best. It just seems like everything is falling into place. While we don't have complete control over that feeling, we can tip the odds in our favor. Being at our best is easier when we are doing our best. That includes helping other people and making the world a better place. Doing our best is the action. Being the best version of ourselves is the result. This week let's do our best and be our best.

• Monday -  Relay an overheard compliment.
• Tuesday - Make good on a promise.
• Wednesday - Send someone you love a fun photo of him/herself, or of a time you were together.
• Thursday - Make it possible for someone to take a break.
• Friday - Check out this way to help someone who is blind: bemyeyes.com

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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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 4 - October 8

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - Follow a charity working on a cause you love and share their post.
• Tuesday - Compliment a stranger.
• Wednesday - Tell someone “I miss you.”
• Thursday - Say thank you to someone who rarely gets thanked, e.g., a bathroom attendant, a toll booth attendant, ...your spouse. :)
• Friday - Before taking the last piece of anything, ask if anyone else wants 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!

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THE WORLD NEEDS YOU 

Doing good things to help other people feels different in real life than it looks in the movies. For one, there's no one there to film it. The inspiring music is missing. And it sometimes doesn't seem like there's a big, heartwarming moment during those moments that you're helping. Life isn't like the movies. But you know what? Life is better than the movies. Because when you do good things in life, you are helping real people. You are making the real world better. And the world needs you.

- 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 27 - October 1

Actions: The Simple Helps to remember

• Monday - When you want to say something unkind today, don't.
• Tuesday - Contact a relative, one you don’t see often, just because.
• Wednesday - Do whatever next right thing you know to do for someone.
• Thursday - Thank someone who is working hard.
• Friday - Make a “HOW I SEE YOU” list of someone’s best qualities and give it to them.

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!

"BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE..."

You've probably heard the quote, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." It is attributed to Gandhi. Here's why that's interesting: there's no record of him ever saying it. It didn't show up in writing until 26 years after his death, and even then, it wasn't referenced to Gandhi. But here's why that matters: Gandhi epitomized the idea. He owned it. It's not about the quote, it is about the actions. "Being the change" is loving, encouraging, and serving. It's done in life and not on paper. So everyone remembers Gandhi, and no one knows who coined this phrase. This week, let's go be the change we wish to see in the world.

• Monday - Listen to someone tell you about their day.
• Tuesday - Keep an eye out for someone being kind and let them know that you noticed their effort.
• Wednesday - Step out of someone’s way.
• Thursday - Tell someone who ought to know - “You made my day.”
• Friday -  Return something you borrowed.

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!

IT GETS EASIER 

The first day of a diet is hungry work. The first trip to the gym is hard work. But the first steps towards being a person who tries to find ways to help? It can be exhausting work. But it gets easier. It's not just that forming a habit makes it easier to continue. It's the good feelings, the happy memories, the positive reinforcement! It's more fun to do something... fun! There are few things more fulfilling than helping those around us. It's hard to start, but it gets so much easier the more you do. 

• Monday -  Tell someone “don’t give up!”
• Tuesday - Help someone resolve a frustration they have with a person or situation.
• Wednesday - Tell someone that they have a beautiful smile! 
• Thursday -  Let someone else have their way without putting up a fight about it.
• Friday -  Do your best to calm someone’s fear.

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RAIN OR SHINE

Plants are inspiring. It's raining? Plants are having a good time. Sunshine today? Plants are happy. We tend to wait on the sunshine times of life to be grateful. It's in our nature. Why are plants different? They've got roots that are ready and waiting for the rain. When we see people going through the storms of life, it's a good time to make sure they're rooted with friends and family. We can be those roots for people who are having tough times and feel like they're getting carried away by them. When we're all putting down roots together, it makes enjoying the sunshine even better.

• Monday - Make a list of five people you will encourage before the week is out.
• Tuesday -  Be intentionally kind to someone in both speech and action.
• Wednesday - Make no assumptions about what someone is trying to say; ask questions, get clarity.
• Thursday -  Be someone’s cheerleader.
• 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 social media a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on the people who use it and the words and the kindness they share. Tools that connect 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 those tools for good! We can use social media to help people without being face-to-face with them. We can be the people that make social media a good thing. 

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

Abraham Lincoln once said, "I don't like that man. I must get to know him better." He knew a secret that can help us all. Feelings follow our actions. It would be nice if we felt love for those around us at all times. But that's not reality; life is full of stress and emotional triggers beyond our choosing. How should we deal with that? If we can be as wise as Abe Lincoln, then we'll choose to reach out rather than close off. Help people this week in personal ways. You'll find you like them and the world around you much better.

• Monday - Relay an overheard compliment.
• Tuesday - Hear what someone says, but consider what they mean before responding.
• Wednesday - Learn someone’s name (especially if you should already know it) and commit it to memory.
• Thursday - Jot a little note of thanks to someone who will be surprised by it.
• Friday - Do something for someone who never could repay you.

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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Lao Tzu said something two and a half millennia ago that remains equally true today: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Whether it's a geographic destination or a personal goal, the whole journey is ...big. It's too big to think about all at once. That's a major contributor to the stress we all face every day. How can we get it all done when it sometimes feels hard just to put one foot in front of the other? That's where our wise, ancient friend solved the riddle. It's that first step that changes everything. In fact, that first step is the only way anything can change at all. Anyone can take a single step, and this week we can do it, too. Each of our Simple Helps this week is the first step towards making the world a better place.

Don't Forget:

- 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!

• Monday - Do your best to calm someone’s fear.

• Tuesday - Tell a parent what you appreciate about the way they parent.
• Wednesday - Put $5 in an encouraging note and hand it to someone who could be encouraged by that kindness today.
• Thursday - Go out of your way to show someone respect.
• Friday - Donate a bag of perfectly good items that you are not using to a local charity.

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 July 19 - July 23

Actions: TheSimpleHelps 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!

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