kind ways to use your words

At school, you can often slip into a state of fearing that your actions are ineffectual. You feel you're not doing anything to help anyone, and there is always someone outperforming your exam results. 

From an inward-looking viewpoint, kind acts are a perfect antidote to the feeling that your actions don't matter: you can directly benefit others from your choices, at no cost! 

I've just started reading How To Win Friends and Influence People, and despite its presumptious title and slight (in my opinion) overuse of case studies, it's been very useful. One of Carnegie's key themes is the universal human need to feel appreciated.

So, here are some of my favorite ways to make others feel appreciated!

writing notes for teachers 

With exams nearing their close, it's a perfect time to thank special teachers for their work. As a student with no money for a present, a letter is a perfect option. You can use it to share fun memories that the teacher has made (a particular favorite of mine involved a phallic yam in a geography class), or just put into words your appreciation for how they helped you enjoy the subject. 

compliment someone in a comments section 

This is another one which takes zero time to do, but plants a seed of happiness. There are masses and masses of bloggers or youtubers who are just looking for an audience, and just a quick comment can make a creator feel very worthwhile!

 email the store you bought something in to complement a worker/ waiter

As a past retail employee (in the Disney Store) I can confirm that reading positive customer feedback stays with you long after your contract ends. Customer service can be super stressful, especially at Christmas, so it really breaks this stress to feel appreciated. The email takes, like, 2 minutes to write, but the employee will likely not forget the feeling of warmth for a long while.

 write a letter or a card
It doesn't have to be a birthday to write a card- any day is perfect to express how much you love your friends, in writing, on some super cute stationary. A little list of reasons why they're appreciated, or even a random text to tell them how wonderful they are, is sure to be a source of light in sad moments.

I hope that you use your words today to spread happiness to others! If you end up doing any of these things, I'd love to see, and maybe even you could subscribe.

Thank you,
-L✿