If you are joining me in participating in the February Acts of Kindness Challenge but have run out of ideas, I have some easy tips to help keep you motivated and some easy ways to keep the kindness going.

1. Get the whole family involved.  In my opinion, the best part of doing this challenge is doing it with my entire family.  We enjoy sharing our acts of kindness with each other, and we help to keep each other accountable.
2. Put the February Acts of Kindness Log somewhere so it is very visible. We put ours on the refrigerator.  Every time we go to the refrigerator, it is a reminder to do our act of kindness or to write down what we did.  All 5 of our logs are up there together, so it is fun to read what everyone does each day.  My daughters are also great at reminding each other if someone misses a day.  They don’t want to miss out on that reward in the end! 🙂
3. Set a reward for yourself.  For every challenge you set for yourself, you should build in a reward at the end.  This is a crucial step in helping you to stay motivated.  Honestly, the reward is what is keeping my kids interested in participating in this challenge.
4. Remember, no act of kindness is too small.  Sometimes we feel like our acts are insignificant, but each action you take (and each word you speak) has the potential to make or break someone’s day.  Keep that in mind and choose kindness always! 🙂

If you’re stuck for ideas, a simple way to make someone’s day is to download a Care Card from You Matter. I wrote one out for each member of my family last night, and it felt great!   #YouMatter is a grassroots movement that aims to promote positive mental health through acts of caring. Telling someone they matter can have a greater impact than we may know! 

There are four easy steps to participate in #YouMatter:

1) Download a Care Card from the MSW@USC blog.

2) Write a message of caring, friendship or appreciation.

3) Snap a picture of your card and share on social media using the hashtag #youmatter and tag us @youmatterbc to inspire others.

4) Give the Care Card to someone and make that person’s day!

There’s never a better time than now to show others that that they matter in this world, so let’s keep promoting acts of kindness together!

If you have not been taking the February Acts of Kindness Challenge, it is not too late to begin!  Simply print out the February Acts of Kindness Log, hang it somewhere visible, set a reward for yourself, and begin performing at least one act of kindness each day.  Then enjoy the wonderful feelings that come with helping others and knowing you are helping to brighten up your community and the world. 🙂