7 Ways To Make Someone’s Day

I woke up this morning just feeling glum as can be, but I opened my email to a heartfelt Thank-You email from somebody I used to do business with and it simply made my day.  I am inspired.  I honestly can’t think of anything more organic or green than joy, love and smiles… so today, this week, this month, and this year we could all benefit from simply being nicer and actually DOING random acts of kindness.  Here’s seven ideas to get you started:

1) Compliment two people and mean it!

Surely, you can come up with two genuine compliments for two people that you see daily.  Tell people what a good job they are doing, how grateful you are to have them on your team, or how nice it is to work alongside them.

2) Pick up the next guy’s tab

It’s cheesy, I know… but it really can be nice.  In these tough times people are pinching pennies, and even the $5.00 or so makes a difference for many.

3) Tip your waiter 50%

If you’ve ever been a waiter, then you know how crummy days can be.  Sometimes, a few extra dollars can totally change the feel and flow of the rest of a shift or even the rest of the day.

4) Volunteer somewhere

Every day I am astounded at how many dot-orgs I find.  There is something in your community that you can participate and volunteer with.  Sometimes just being an extra person touches a life in a way that you may never know.

5) Send 5 Thank-You cards for services people have provided in the last month

With information traveling SO fast, participating in a “thank-you” culture as often as possible will be good for business and good for you personally.  Thank people more often for the things you do and enjoy where life can go!

6) Write somebody a sincere letter

Can you even remember the last time you received a heart-felt, genuine, and expressive physical letter from a friend or family member?  A signed and sealed envelope that IS NOT a bill is enough to make my day, but a sincere letter from a loved friend might make somebody’s whole year.

7) Tell a manager when you receive outstanding customer service

I used to work for a cellular telephone provider in a call center – it was hell.  The rare occasion that somebody asked to speak with a supervisor after our call was often a great thing as they were giving me “kudos” which were displayed and announced for everybody to see.  It felt great!

How We Can Make A Difference In A World Water Crisis

I am truly touched and affected when I come across companies and organizations doing something to actually change the world and save lives.  Today I was directed to CSDW.org (of Proctor & Gamble), and I learned some staggering facts as well as some fabulous resolutions.  CSDW (Children’s Safe Drinking Water) is a program designed to bring safer water to a big part of the world.

It took a while to process some of the following information and how terribly dangerous many communities water supplies are.

• More than one billion people do not have access to safe water.
• Diarrhea caused by drinking contaminated water remains a leading cause of illness and death among infants and children in the developing world.
• About 1.8 million children die every year due to diarrheal diseases.
• More children die from diarrheal illnesses like cholera and dysentery than from HIV/AIDS or malaria combined.
• P&G has collaborated with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) since 1995 to develop safe drinking water systems that people can easily use in their homes.
• There is conclusive evidence that simple, low-cost interventions at the community level can dramatically improve the quality of household stored water and greatly reduce the risk of diarrheal disease and death.
• It is well documented that simply providing safe, clean, drinkable water can reduce deadly diarrhea and other devastating diseases by about 50%.

To combat this hazardous situation, the CSDW is distributing the PUR Packet (a product of PUR), to clean up to 10 liters of water at a time.  The PUR Packet is exceptionally more useful in these cultures because a little bit goes a long way; they are also a greener response to this problem by saving on the countless water bottles sent to these struggling cultures. P&G works with organizations like PSI, CARE, World Vision, Aquaya Institute, USAID, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the International Council of Nurses, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, Save the Children, Samaritan’s Purse, and Americares; these organizations and the CSDW are over half way to their goal of cleaning 4 billion liters of water before 2012.

If you would like to help this global movement, then don’t wait another minute.  The CSDW accepts PayPal.  Even small contributions can make a huge difference.  One PUR Packet cleans 10 Liters of water, and costs 10¢.  $1.00 will provide one child with clean water for 50 days, $7.50 can provide that same child with clean water for a year, and $30.00 gives one family clean water for a full year.