33 Actionable Ideas to Do Kind Things And Help Others
Imagine reaching for your wallet and finding… nothing.
Now imagine a fully bagged weekly food shop, a long line, and 3 wild boys… 👇🏼
A while back I was out on the weekly food shop.
I brought along my three young boys (an achievement in logistics and a testament to my parental skills if I may say so). And on this day they were tired and causing general mischief. So, I wanted to get out of there ASAP.
Then I went to pay for my food… and my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Everyone was waiting for me to pay.
Peak shopping hours.
Boys being disruptive.
Me, feeling like a complete lemon 🍋 with no idea what to do next.
I kept patting my empty pockets… as if that would make my wallet appear!
But then a lady behind me said, “Excuse me, may I pay for you?”
I didn’t know how to respond.
She said, “I’ll give you my account details. Pay me back when you get home.”
What a test of trust.
She saw a frazzled dad in need. And she helped… with no guarantee she would get her money back.
Could you have been that person?
Willing to step over an invisible barrier and approach a stranger in a moment of need? That act of kindness cost her a little faith in a stranger but the impact it had on me was overwhelming.
Whether it’s your time, money, skills or just some encouragement, we all have something to give.
It costs us a little. But the return is worth it.
Give it a shot. Find a way of giving something today.
Need some examples?
I’ve written up 33 actionable ideas to put this idea into practice below.
— Peter
33 Actionable Ideas to Give
Because helping others helps us feel happier (as well as being nice for them too).
Here are 33 actionable ideas to put this idea into practice and start giving today. Remember to look out for those who are overwhelmed, stressed, or overlooked…
Helping Families
1. Help a Parent: Assist a parent juggling their kids and food shopping by asking to help them with their bags.
2. Babysit for Free: Give parents a night off by offering to babysit their children at no charge.
Local Business
3. Support Local Businesses: Buy something from a local small business to support their presence in your community.
4. Write Positive Reviews: Leave a strong, positive review for businesses you frequent to boost their reputation online.
Helping the Less Fortunate
5. Buy a Meal: Buy a meal for a rough sleeper.
6. Volunteer Time: Call your local homeless shelter or community centre and ask if they need any help or volunteers.
7. Create Care Packages: Assemble and distribute care packages for the homeless. Wet wipes, soap, fresh socks, gloves, cereal bars, packets of tissues, deodorant, tooth paste and tooth brush.
Be Kind
8. Pay It Forward: Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in line at a café.
9. Offer Your Seat: Give up your seat on the bus or train, especially if someone needs it more.
Giving Away What You Don’t Need
10. Donate Clothes: Give away gently used clothes to a charity.
11. Donate Books: Share your favourite books with a community library or give them away through posting about them on social media.
12. Give Away Tech: Donate old but functional electronics to schools or charities.
13. Give Away Unused Items: Donate items you no longer use to those who might need them.
Using Your Passion, Skills, or Experience
14. Offer Professional Skills: Use your expertise to help someone for free, like offering legal advice or tutoring.
15. Mentor Someone: Offer to mentor a junior colleague or a student in your field.
16. Provide Tech Help: Help someone less tech-savvy set up their devices or troubleshoot problems.
Encouragement
17. Send Encouraging Messages: Send a kind and encouraging message to a friend or colleague who might be having a tough time.
18. Recognise Someone’s Effort: If it’s great work or they’re working hard and putting in the effort, let them know.
19. Give Flowers: Brighten someone's day by giving them flowers.
Building a Good Community
20. Help a Neighbour: Offer to help a neighbour with some gardening work, especially if you have a specialist tool like a pressure washer or hedge trimmer.
21. Welcome a Neighbour: Be proactive in helping new neighbours. People are often polite and don’t take you up on your offer the first time around. When moving into a new place, often internet access takes a while to get set up. Tell them they can come over and use yours.
22. Help with Home Repairs: Assist someone with minor home repairs or maintenance.
23. Pick Up Litter: Spend some time picking up rubbish in your neighbourhood or local park.
24. Organise a Cleanup: Coordinate a community cleanup day for a local park or beach.
25. Cook for Someone: Make a meal for a friend or neighbour who is ill or going through a tough time.
26. Help Someone Move: Assist a friend or neighbour with packing and moving.
27. Offer to Run Errands: Help someone by running their errands if they are rushed off their feet.
Recognition
28. Listen Actively: Offer a listening ear to someone who needs to talk.
29. Encourage Others: Regularly offer words of encouragement to those around you.
Donations & Charity
30. Donate Blood: Visit a blood donation centre and give blood.
31. Donate Money: Regularly donate a small amount of money to a charity or cause you support.
32. Support Fundraisers: Contribute to or participate in fundraisers for causes you care about.
And last, but not least…
33. Return Lost Items: Give something back! Take the time to return lost items you find, especially if it’s someone’s ring, phone, or wallet.
Impressive! You read the whole thing!
You might just like my monthly email, Mind Shift Forum.
This article was adapted from one of those emails. Every calendar year, we pick a theme (hope, culture, networking, etc.) and each month there’s one email on one element of that theme — with the goal of improving our mindset or habits. Check it out!
How can I help?
Every single staff member needs basic mental health training (1 hour) → Mentality
1 in 10 staff need advanced mental health training (2 days) → MHFA Courses
All managers need mental health frameworks for today (half day) → The Managers Course
Every executive needs a culture of wellbeing in their business strategy → Register interest
Get your team engaged, energised, and talking (90 minutes) → Book Peter to speak
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