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Good karma party
SpunOut.ie celebrates simple acts of goodness and asks you to inspire others!
The SpunOut.ie team got chatting recently about just how easy it is to make a positive difference, no matter how small, in your own day or in somebody else’s day.
Emily, our Youth Participation Officer, mentioned how a gent in a suit, dancing without inhibition to Galway buskers, was putting a smile on the face of every passerby. The guy’s happiness was infectious and we reckon that YOU can do the same for others.
We’re asking everyone to share your recent good deeds and to tell us how YOU reckon we can best reach out to others in the community.
SpunOutters good karma deeds of late:
“I've spent quality time with family members and made an effort to really talk and listen to them. Once you're all living separate lives and in different places, it's all too easy to chat about 'what the craic is' but not about 'how are you feeling?'.”
“I joined the ISPCA and pledged to support the organisation in their work towards preventing animal cruelty in Ireland.”
“I've made sure that I regularly contact a friend who recently went through a break-up and was feeling a bit down - even if it's just to say hello and remind her that the spring and sunshine is coming soon!”
Good karma actions that SpunOutters have suggested and which we can all benefit from:
- Take a walk (good for you) and make a point to smile at every person you make eye contact with (good for everyone!). Don't underestimate the power of a smile!
- Break 'corner shopkeeper syndrome'- Ever notice how corner shopkeepers have been conditioned to communicate with everyone at lightning fast speed? A few words muttered as someone passes over their cash and awaits the change, he's not often afforded much more. Give your shopkeeper a surprise, and take a few minutes to actually have a nice wee chat. (Warning: Probably best done when the queue's not out the door!)
- If you go to fitness/ wellbeing classes like yoga or pilates, suggest to the teacher that for one class all or part of the fees go towards a select charity. Many are happy to hop on this idea, especially towards the holidays. I did a spin on this myself for the local Simon Community, and you could pay for classes with tinned foods, e.g. a €10 yoga class cost 10 tins of food.
- Learn to give thanks where it’s due. Once, after a particularly amazing experience at an Italian restaurant, I emailed the manager/owner to let him know how great I thought the food and service was, and how the dining experience had essentially made me and my date's night. He called me the next day absolutely overjoyed and touched that we had a good experience. He said he can be hard on himself and his staff, and that it's great to realise that they are doing things right. He was so moved in fact, that next time I came into the restaurant he insisted that I take a €50 gift voucher! A genuine thanks really can make an impact.
- Tip, and tip big. People need to know that they're doing a good job. Funny enough, whenever I really tip big, the giving seems to always come back to me within a few days, as in I'll find money on the ground, receive a lovely gift, or maybe be treated to a meal by someone else. Karma has its ways of pulling full circle!
- Work what you've got! All of us are blessed with different strengths and talents. So instead of being hard on yourself for all the skills and qualities you don't have, learn to appreciate and use what you do have. I have a real knack for healthy mouth-watering cooking, so I make a point to invite friends over as much as possible to savour the nourishment and yumminess! Now ask me to bake a cake...and that's a different story!
