Happy Inconvenience Day everyone! We hear the phrase ‘be kind to others’ or ‘spread kindness’ and more quite often. Still, we hear about them, see posts about spreading positivity, kindness and love, and yet we don’t always do anything about it. We might think we’re too busy to actually do something, or we might not even realize how powerful of an impact just one action can have on someone else. Today is the day to actually do such an act. But wait a minute, what is it exactly? The first thing that pops in our minds when we hear the word ‘inconvenience’ isn’t actually that motivating, right? What we understand from the word is ‘difficulty,’ ‘not now,’ or perhaps ‘what’s in it for me?’ Inconvenience Day is all about acknowledging others, putting them first, and having a positive effect on their lives. The purpose of the day is to help us become more attentive to others, and recognize how our actions can impact anyone. Think about it; it’s about taking the time from your inconvenience to do something, even just a small act for someone else. Be a little convenient, take time from your own inconvenience and make a positive impact in the life of someone else.
Now, how can we actually celebrate and participate in such a day? Here are some simple, yet effective ways!
Let’s replace ‘inconvenience’ with the following ways
- Show kindness or just smile
This is the simplest act anyone could ever do. Smile to your acquaintances, even if you dislike them, smile to your neighbors and you know what, smile to strangers too. Spreading a smile won’t harm anyone. Offer a meal to someone who needs it, help someone with their groceries, or perhaps feed stray animals because after all, kindness has no shortage of options!
- Spread love to others
Spread love sounds like a huge action, right? It doesn’t mean go around hugging everyone. It just means to show some care and attention to others. Offer them some of your time. This act in itself is a form of love.
- Offer advice when asked for
You know when your phone rings or you get a text saying ‘are you free, i need your advice?’ And you actually recognize the call or the text and yet, you don’t reply. It’s totally fine, but why not make that a task of today where you respond to them and offer them the help they asked for?
- Just listen and be there emotionally
At points in our lives we all need someone to just listen to us and be there for us emotionally. No advice, no feedback, just listening. Let’s practice listening today!
- Buy them or get them something small they’ve always wanted
A little gift won’t harm anyone. This gift goes a longer way than you’d think. Not only are you putting a smile on their face, but most importantly, you’re acknowledging their presence in this world!
- Practice humility
A powerful word with profound rewards for our well-being. But how do we practice this? Being aware of your motives and genuine about it is just one way. Wishing the best for those that have wronged you, or perhaps for those you don’t necessarily get along with is another practice for humble acts. And finally, help someone today without announcing it to everyone you know. It can be hard to keep it to yourself, but that’s the meaning of practice after all!