"The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don't wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope." -- Barack Obama

Many people say that niceness never gets you anywhere besides being manipulated and used by others who take your kindness for granted. Even I have said that in the past. I now believe that being nice and always giving more than you receive has its benefits because you can never be too kind.

The week of April 4, 2016, had to be one of the best weeks that I have had so far in my short life. I never really thought that karma was real and every time someone told me to "treat others as you would want to be treated" or that "what goes around comes around," I would blow them off. Over the last couple of years, I began to open my mind and see that being a cold or mean person was not who I was meant to be. It was not until that first week of April that made me realize that paying it forward truly does reward you in the end.

Since the end of 2015 I really wanted to buy tickets to the amazing and beautiful music festival Electric Daisy Carnival, but unfortunately it was not in the cards for me at that time due to finances. On the evening of April 4 I got off of work and was checking my various social media accounts when I noticed a direct message on Instagram. (I thought it was strange since I never get direct messages on Instagram.) Surprisingly enough, it was a message from the creator of Insomniac events and Electric Daisy Carnival, Pasquale Rotella, telling me that I had won two three-day general admission passes to the festival I had been dreaming of going to for months. I was in such disbelief, I seriously thought it was spam. Luckily enough, it was legit. As the week continued, I had other various acts of kindness happen towards me. Every time I went to Starbucks that week, the person in front of me in the drive thru paid for my order. I was truly blessed.

This is not an article directed towards myself, though. This article is directed towards you. I want to inspire you to continue or begin showing others kindness with my story. I believe that we should always give when we can because karma is a very real thing. How you treat others will always come back around to you. If you show others how nice the world can be, the world will be nice to you. So remember to always tip your waiters, waitresses, baristas, hair stylists, etc., because they probably really need every penny they can get. Help others (only if you feel comfortable, of course) when they ask you for a ride or if they are standing on the corner asking for money or food, because a majority of the time people are genuine and truly do need it.

Just the other day when I was leaving my work, a young lady asked me for a ride closer to her home so that she would not have to walk many miles. I was extremely reluctant at first because there are always stories about people having something terrible happen to them in those situations. It was cold and windy on this particular evening and she was leaving the hospital, so I figured driving her a few miles would not cause me any harm (I even asked her not to stab me). The woman was very sweet and thankful that I helped her, and I was extremely happy that I could help and that she was going to be safe.

I hope that you take my words to heart and do not let all of the negativity that is shown on the news give you a blind eye towards those who are truly in need. Pay it forward, because you will feel great and the universe will reward you.

"Kindness makes you the most beautiful person in the world. No matter what you look like." -- Unknown