As I grow older I am becoming more and more aware of the way people interact. I have started paying closer attention to the way I treat others, how others treat me, and how random people treat one another.

If there is one thing I have learned from my conscious and subconscious observations it is that there is nothing more beautiful in this world than genuine and wholesome kindness. Unfortunately we live in a world that sometimes fails to be kind. We, as a collective group that creates humanity, often fail to be kind. Do you ever go throughout your day with a bad attitude? Do you ever make a snarky comment when you are annoyed with something or someone? Do you forget to say please or thank you when you're in a rush to get somewhere? I know I do. We all have days where we feel like the world is out to get us and those days hurt and kick us when we're down.

There are so many simple acts of kindness than can completely alter not only another person's mood but your own mood as well. The golden rule that you learned in kindergarten still remains true: if you want to be treated well, treat others well.

Here is a list of 25 things we can all do to make someone's day a little brighter:

1. Be polite.
2. Don't forget to say please and thank you.
3. Remember that the words ma'am and sir will never go out of style.
4. Shake hands when you meet someone new.
5. Respect your elders.
6. Embrace someone.
7. Smile at people you know.
8. Smile at people you don't know.
9. Send someone snail mail.
10. Call family and friends you haven't talked to in a while just because.
11. Pay for someone's Starbucks or fast food meal behind you in the drive through.
12. Be present. Really listen when people speak.
13. Write a loved one a note and leave it somewhere you know they'll find it.
14. Make someone a mix CD of songs you think they'll enjoy.
15. Put coins in someone's parking meter.
16. Compliment your co-worker, a fellow student, or a stranger.
17. Bake someone cookies. Everyone loves cookies.
18. Send an encouraging bible verse to someone.
19. Put your phone away while you're with other people.
20. Give someone a book that you love.
21. Leave a book in a random place with a note attached to it.
22. Reach out to someone and let them know you are there for them.
23. Put an extra dollar in the vending machine.
24. Buy a dozen doughnuts, eat one and give away the other 11.
25. Say I love you and say it often (but only if you mean it).

Although these really might not seem like much you never know what people are going through and the impact you might have on someone with a simple gesture. I can absolutely 100% promise you that being a kind person will never go out of style. Kindness is contagious, heart-warming, and it truly makes the world a better place. It's a universal language that we all share although I believe we don't speak it as often as we should.

Go out and be genuinely kind to someone today.