Remember when there were only federal holidays? Now it seems like we have designated a day to celebrate everything. While I think some of these days we can do without I came across one that is not only fun, but can definitely help the moral in the office. October 5 is Do Something Nice Day. This is an awesome, selfless thought. How often has an act of kindness brightened your day? Whether you are on the receiving end or you are the person enacting the kindness, I think we all can agree that a little bit goes a long way.
Not so long ago I was approached by a man in the street who told me he was hungry and we just happened to be standing in front of a restaurant. I had not intended on purchasing lunch for a stranger that morning when I was getting ready to go out but my motto is expect the unexpected. So I offered to buy this man lunch. Just the smile that lit his face was enough to make my week. It was in that moment that I realized there was no limit on the value of kindness.
Often we forget that we are all connected and this is never more evident than when I think about the selfless acts of heroism performed by our service men every day. Pay it Forward is something most of us are told we should do but an anonymous veteran did just that. With a simple note of thanks that read “I noticed the sticker on the back of your car; take your hero out to dinner when he comes home. Thank you both for serving. Him deployed and you for waiting” along with the note was $40 in an envelope. Samantha Ford’s belief in kindness was renewed and she took a picture and posted it on Facebook. By Tuesday morning, the post had a million and a half “likes” and more than 43,000 comments. In addition it had been shared nearly 200,000 times and got national recognition when it was reported by ABC news. The Ford family made a sacrifice to serve their county and they encouraged others to take the time to thank a veteran and their families for their service.
Image from abcnews.go.com
I don’t know who created the day or how it started it is referred to as a national day. It is not a federal holiday and chances are you will not get the day off from work but it gives us an opportunity to take some time out of our busy schedules to be selfless and hopefully make someone smile.
How Your Business Can Participate on October 5th for Do Something Nice Day
I hear the question already, how does this translate to business and marketing? Simple, there are many ways for your business to get involved on October 5.
Yes, you can send your clients a business giveaway but go a step further and send potential customers a promotional gift also. As the old saying goes, “it’s the thought that counts”. You can never be too thankful and I have not met a person yet that doesn’t like to receive a gift. By sending them a promotional product you are not only saying thank you but you are also marketing your business. Also, like in the story above, promo items create awareness. Samantha Ford would have never gotten that letter and $40 if it weren’t for the promotional bumper sticker that was displayed on her car.
Bring breakfast to the office or maybe take your employees out to lunch. This will not only be seen as something nice but also that you recognize and appreciate all of their hard work. Our customers/clients may be the fuel for our businesses but our employees are the nuts and bolts. Having a happy staff means that you will have a happy work environment which all translates into productivity.
A great idea is to create a corporate event around Do Something Nice Day. It is a wonderful marketing opportunity! For example, you can encourage your Facebook fans to comment on your page about something nice they did and in return offer them a discount. You can also offer a custom gift with purchase. Use printed advertising materials to send out the message and attract attention to your Do Something Nice event. It’s a win win situation.
There are any number of ways to be an active participant on October 5 for Do Something Nice Day. Your participation will not only be for the benefit of others but to your benefit also because there is something so natural in making someone else smile. It may sound silly but it is true, it simply warms the heart.
How will you participate in Do Something Nice Day this year? Can you think of something nice that you can do? Have you participated in previous years and if so, how? What are some examples of acts of kindness that you have performed? I want to know.
What a nice post – haven’t heard of Oct 5 – Do Something Nice Day before – thanks for sharing, Arleen!
In my line of work, i think it would be a nice thing to give free consultation to fellow freelancers who are struggling with something… maybe a tweet chat or something? Too bad i am short on time right now (relocating to another country) but next year i will definitely be more prepared and will take action – business-wise! I suppose it is on Oct 5, always?
As for the acts of kindness – i try to do good things every day… I too once bought lunch to a stranger. But more often help elderly people cross the street, or give food to the homeless cats and dogs in the neighborhood (my neighbors hate me for that as the animals come back sometimes for more), leaving a tip is also a nice thing to do that many tend to forget recently… Doing something nice for someone every day, no matter how small it is, does count big time. we never know what chain of events our good deed triggers 😉
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Diana- Very good points of helping others. I donate all the time and help out at the animal shelter. I have always felt the world is round and if you are good it will come back to you.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
great ideas. Everyone should pay it forward. Kindness should be given without reward or announcement. It should be a natural part of living your life and if all practiced this (no ego involved or expectations of praise ) then the world would truly be a better place.
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Judy- Kindness is such a good thing. It really doesn’t take much. How many times how you seen someone with their blinker on trying to make a turn and no one lets them in? Simple, but I feel good when I do that.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
It’s about time we had a holiday that was really meaningful! What a great thing to do…to encourage compassion. I think we’ve had an empathy deficit in this country for too long. I’m going to spread the word! Thanks!
Jacqueline Gum (Jacquie) recently posted…Have We Lost That Personal Touch?… Where’s The Justice?
Jacqueline- I think it is a great holiday and it wasn’t made up by Hallmark. A good compassionate holiday that makes sense.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
Thank you for the information about this day, Arleen. Truth is, I find being nice works out best if you keep your eyes and ears open every day. I try to help out my friends when they need it most, like when a friend had a parent dying of cancer and she just wanted someone to talk to. I hadn’t planned to use that time in that way, but when she messaged me, I disregarded whatever was on my to do list and chatted with her.
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Leora-Yes being nice everyday works. Nice to have a holiday to remind us that it is important to give.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
As i read this article, i find it very informative. it is a nice one because it deals with an interesting ideas and information. I like it so much as from the first time i read it, the information that are used here attracted me a lot. They take my attention from the first look, so thanks so much for sharing with us this great topic in this great website. You are doing a great work here. I must say you’ve done a wonderful job by sharing your article with us. It took more time for me to read it fully, But it’s worth it Really.
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Hi Arleen,
Yes, we know and here in India, we celebrate it as a week marking “The Joy of Giving.”. We try help out underprivileged people by donating as small and as big as it is possible for us. It is a very soothing experience to help someone and enjoy the joy derived by giving something to someone. Something that helps them and lets us get joy out of it.
Thanks for sharing and I hope, we all can work towards building a better world for all of us.
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Ashutosh- As big as the world is we all have the same common ground of helping on another. It is great that you celebrate “The Joy of Giving”
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
Arleen thanks for letting us know about this holiday! And what two lovely stories you shared with us.
I was curious about other holidays and found ALSO in October, October 7, World Smile Day and October 26th: Make a Difference Day. So we will have 3 chances to do something with compassion for others.
Heartwarming post appreciated.
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Patricia- I haven’t heard of of World Smile day, but I heard of Make a Difference Day. It is great to know that giving is so important that special days were created.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
I have never heard of this day before. I really like the idea of t.
Tanya recently posted…Three Key Characteristics of a Smart Social Media Policy
Tanya- I guess there is a celebration for everything. Just thought this was a good one.
I wanted to leave a comment on your site, but all your blogs are closed for comments. Thank you for stopping by mine.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
What great ideas for celebrating “Do Something Nice Day”. It really should be an everyday occurrence, not just once a year, but the reminder goes a long way. I really like the idea of saying thank you to staff. I was out with one of our nurses while she visited clients and was reminded again of their amazing kindness and patience. They are so kind every day without fail.The clients are happy to see them, even when they don’t share a common language. It certainly made me want to do something nice for that nurse by the end of the trip.
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Debra- I agree it should be an everyday occurrence, but I think it is great it is a holiday if nothing else as a reminder. I think nurses are such special people and doing something nice is a wonderful idea.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
We do not have this day in Australia, but as you wrote “it’s the little things that count” is so true. It doesn’t take up much time and often it is a case of being a little more observant instead of thinking how busy you are. Nice article and video Arleen.
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Susan- Most people in the US do not even know that this day exist. You are right it is the little things that count and thinking of others.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
The Do Something Nice Day is a reminder that we should be doing nice things every day. I think most of us are good people trying to do good. I guess I’m an optimist that way. Maybe because I’m surrounded by a wonderful circle of friends and family who do so much for me all the time. I’m the recipient of many kindnesses and try to reciprocate. If someone is nice to you, always remember to say “thank you.” Not everyone remembers to do that. Get out your pen and paper and write a note. It will be so appreciated.
Jeannette- There is no question that we should do something nice all the time and not expect it in return. I do feel that if you do good it does come back to you. I can see you are like I am, from the old school, get out your pen and paper and let that person know you appreciated them.
When I travel on an airline and get good service. I ask the flight attendant for their id number and send a note to the airlines, what a good job they have done. I don’t know if it goes anywhere, but I feel good about it.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
Arleen — How nice of you to do that. When I get a very helpful phone rep I will ask for his/her supervisor to send a quick email. They are so grateful. I feel I should do it because I complain so often about customer service that when it’s good I want to make sure someone knows about it!
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Jeannette- Isn’t it interesting how just a nice thank you for your service goes such a long way
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
It is these random acts of kindness that gives us hope – hope for our species and our planet.
Personally, I think we are not doing enough good acts. We could do a lot better if we just get along as a species, instead of fighting among ourselves (think about poverty? Isn’t it time we solved the issue? But, a lot of people do nothing about that – ignorance or selfishness).
Anyways, thank you for sharing the video and the post, Arleen 🙂
Jeevan- For those who do nothing there are plenty of us who do. No question we could all do more.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
This is the first time I’ve heard about this day. I drank two cups of coffee last Sunday in honor of International Coffee day. I think on Saturday, I’ll pay for the coffee of the person behind me at Starbucks. I’m going to Skype my husband right now so I will remember 😉
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Jeri- I guess it is holiday we haven’t heard about because there are no greeting cards for this day. I love what you are going to do on Saturday Just watch how you make that person happy and surprised. Remind them what the day it is, so they pay it forward to the next customer
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
I think your post is an important reminder to us, how doing a small act can really change someone else’s life. I mean how many other people you think bought than man lunch? Sometimes even smiling at someone can brighten their mood, and that’s important!
Its like social karma, people do remember you for thing you did for them. You get back what you put out there!
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Absolutely you get back what you put out there. I never forget when someone does something for me. Just reciprocated with each other on our blogs. It is helping your fellow blogger. It doesn’t take anything away from you, except your time. Small acts bring big rewards
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
It’s just me in the office 🙂 but I like to give back by participating in Kiva that helps small business owners all over the world. I’ve been thinking of making another loan so perhaps I’ll do that tomorrow (Oct. 5).
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Joanne- If nothing else the holiday gets us all thinking. All good stuff
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
Hi Arleen,
I haven’t heard of that day, but it is a great one to pass along to enlighten people. Because we as humans are all connected, I do believe that if we have this kind of mindset each and every day, the world does become a better place.
I just love it when I see a soldier at a restaurant…I always pay their bill. Once there were about a dozen soldiers going for breakfast at this restaurant we were eating at. I told the waiter I wanted to pay for all of them. He replied that they order lots of food, but money wasn’t an issue.
What a great feeling it was to see these young marines saluting us and thanking us for the breakfast. They were happy for the support we gave them.
Everyday we encounter someone in need. It could be as small as walking an older person across the street. When it becomes part of our awareness, we see it every where. Isn’t that what life is all about? I think so.
-Donna
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Donna- What a wonderful gesture. Wow that had to make you feel wonderful.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
Do you know what really makes me sad Arleen? That we have to have a special day to recognize this. Really! Just like whoever put that note and money on that girl’s car did it because they 1) wanted to do something nice 2) were proud that she supported someone in the service and 3) probably thought they could use it.
If we have to have a day like this then I do hope that everyone will participate in some way. It would be on a weekend this year when I’m not very active online but that’s okay, I do nice things everyday. Everyday is a special day.
Thank you though for sharing this and bringing it to everyone’s attention. Maybe they’ll go out of their way to be extra nice to someone or help someone in need. Just like you did with the guy that needed a meal. Thank you for that by the way, that was very kind of you but that’s just who you are! We need more of you Arleen!
Hey, have a happy “Do Something Nice” day!
~Adrienne
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Adrienne- I agree that you don’t need a holiday to be generous but I think it is great that it is recognized as being important.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
Hey Arleen! Paying it forward is that everyone should execute in life. I love that video you shared. It reminded me of a few friends that live in my local area and they did something very similar. I hope, I’m not being invasive but I want to share this video you with you Arleen. I know you will appreciate it! This video was done last year, and it’s in super high quality. I pasted the link in my profile so just click on my name under this post and it will take you right to the video!
Nate- I agree with you about pay it forward should be part of your life. This weekend I went to dog trial and paid for the person behind me to enter the park. I felt good all day. I am glad you liked the video.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
What a good idea. We don’t have it in Sweden, or anywhere else I have lived for that matter. Personally have always given people a helping hand whenever I can. It’s imporant and will most likely be even more needed in the future.
Tomorrow I will honour the world smile day Pat mentioned. Have plenty to do but smiling goes a long way:-)
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Catarina- Giving is important and always offer a smile is good for the receiver. We all have something to smile about, we are alive…
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!
I think these days are springing up everywhere because just by sharing the idea, it puts a thought in someones head thereby allowing them to help or act on it.
I like having so many because when they appeal to you, you really stop and think. This day in particular (although just passed) is a great idea and it doesn’t mean I wont go out there and do something nice even though I missed the day.
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Becc- Yes the day has passed but kindness has not.
Arleen recently posted…Have You Heard of Do Something Nice Day? It’s October 5th!