People who regularly socialize with friends are happier and healthier, studies show. An important part of self-care is making time to socialize with others. It can be as simple as catching up over a cup of coffee, or going for a walk. Having good friends, and being a good friend, adds to your happiness and overall well-being.
Read more about the importance of friendships on Everyday Health.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. — Buddha
“Our task must be to widen our circle of compassion, to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” — Albert Einstein
This is similar to yesterday’s post, but the message bears repeating. Can you find common ground with someone you’re currently at odds with? Is there something you can do to show greater compassion toward animals? The earth?
For most of us, it’s easy to show kindness and feel compassion for the people we like. It can be much more difficult to do so for people we see as different from us, or for people we do not like. A good first step toward fostering compassion for those who are not like you is to learn more about them, and focus on your similarities rather than your differences. We are all just people trying to find our way in this world.
Being compassionate toward people who are negative, rude, or otherwise difficult is even trickier. Lori Deschene of Tiny Buddha has some great tips in her article, 10 Ways to Deal with Negative or Difficult People.
Do you struggle with showing kindness to those you disagree with or don’t like?
Collars and tags can be removed or get lost, and tattoos can become illegible over time. That’s why microchipping your pets is so important. Animal microchips are about the size of a grain of rice, and are implanted just below the skin’s surface through a needle. If your pet ever gets lost, a microchip is his or her best chance of being returned to you. Most animal shelters and humane societies automatically scan incoming animals for microchips. The average cost of a microchip is around $45. Some humane societies and organizations may offer the service at a reduced cost.
Is your pet microchipped?
The next time you have an enjoyable experience at a restaurant, be kind and leave a generous tip (15%-20% is standard). Most food servers work exceptionally hard for minimal income and no benefits. In Wisconsin, where I live, minimum wage for tipped workers is only $2.33 per hour. Additionally, some restaurants require servers to share tips with other employees such as hosts and bussers, reducing their take-home pay even further. An extra dollar or two may be just what that server needs to make ends meet.
Have you ever worked in food service? What was your experience with tips?
With many household products, if you the “recommended usage” instructions, you’ll end up using much more than is necessary to do the job. A few examples: laundry detergent, shampoo, liquid hand soap, and toothpaste. Experiment and see how little of these products you can use and still get the same results. You’ll save money, and use less product packaging in the long run.
Do you have any tips for using less of a common household product?
Many people think one has to be wealthy in order to be considered a “philanthropist.” Not true. The definition of a philanthropist is simply a person who seeks to promote the welfare of others, by the generous donation of money to good causes. Perhaps it’s that word “generous” that trips people up, because “generous” is often used synonymously with “sizable.”
George Resch writes a blog called I Found Money Today. George leaves $5 bills in random places around his city for other people to find, whenever he has a few bucks to spare. I’d call that philanthropy, and mighty generous, wouldn’t you?
What simple things can you do to inspire philanthropy?
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