Oftentimes, in today’s horrifically hectic society, individuals have the tendency to get stuck on the humdrum merry-go-round known as common, daily life. “The motions” have a way of persistently creeping up and transforming what you thought would be a special day into a carbon copy of yesterday.

Most Americans spend their self-absorbed days being woken up by an upbeat pop alarm, finding the nearest Starbucks, heading off to their workplace, coming home to eat a swift and sometimes unhealthy dinner, then cascading into their luscious layers of dreamland. There is nothing wrong with getting by in this manner; however, there are some simple fixes that can transform a drab, dreary day into a bright, blossoming future. In the remaining portions of this article, you will be provided with 20 tips on how to brighten up your day- along with someone else’s as well.

By making it this far into the reading, you have now gotten yourself into a commitment. I challenge you as the reader of this article to accomplish at least five of these tips within the next five days. If you are feeling very motivated, I would even like to hear about your experience at bbross98@gmail.com.

1. Genuinely compliment a stranger.

2. Pay for the meal of someone behind you in a drive through.

3. Give a very generous tip at a restaurant.

4. Put change in an expired parking meter in your city.

5. Try a new recipe and share it with some friends.

6. Park in the farthest part of the parking lot to give the elderly a shorter walk.

7. Inform your parents/guardians how much you are thankful for them.

8. Send a handwritten note to an old friend.

9. Shovel/sweep the sidewalk of your neighbor without being asked.

10. Visit an old teacher and reminisce on old days.

11. Make eye contact with every single person you speak to in a day.

12. Purchase someone a present for their half-birthday.

13. Bring in donuts for people at work/school.

14. Offer to take a picture for people who look like they need help.

15. Leave the mailman a small gift in the mailbox.

16. Focus the conversation on the other person instead of yourself.

17. Let people merge into the lane during traffic.

18. Stand up for the underdog in a competition.

19. Pray good wishes upon your enemies.

20. Avoid gossip by keeping up with current events and talking about them.

I hope this short list was beneficial in improving the “daily struggle” that most Americans go through every day. Even the most extravagant of lives can become repetitive at times. When I was a young girl living in a small-town neighborhood in West Virginia, I lived next to an elderly lady who had very strict morals. She would always inform my mother and me that her father reminded her every day, “Elizabeth, you have not had a good day until you have done something kind for someone else.”

As I grow into my teenage years, I find that this statement only becomes more important with age. People are forced to go through many life changing tragedies in this world, and the least you could be is a light to shine through the depressing darkness of an ordinary life.