Some people say that I am overly nice. I usually take it upon myself to perform one act of kindness each day for someone who truly needs it or deserves it. If a coworker of is stressed out at work, I’ll either do something to make their workload easier or bring them food depending on the situation. If a friend has had a particularly sad day, I’ll write them a kind note about how amazing of a person they are to bring their spirits up. I am always willing to sacrifice my time or resources if it means that someone’s day is ultimately made better because of it.

I don’t do these things because they bring me glory and praise. Don’t get me wrong, the recognition is nice. However, I do these acts of kindness because it ultimately makes everyone around me a tiny bit better off than they were before.

That last bit sounds so cheesy; I know. I always believe that we as humans thrive on the energy of those around us. We need to be surrounded by positive people if we want to be happy. I am not saying that you should get rid of your friend group if they are generally sad or crabby people, but you have the power to make the others around you feel happy if they aren’t already, and their happiness should, in turn, make you feel happy.

For example, when I have had a particularly rough day, I make it more of an effort to do more random acts of kindness for those closest to me. For example, I had a really rough day a couple of weeks ago. I dug myself in a hole and didn’t feel as if I could dig myself out. To combat this, I decided to make little inspirational quote door signs for some of the friends living in my dorm. I spent a few hours finding quotes that really suited each person, I wrote the quotes on each sign and drew a picture and wrote a little note, and then I went around the building after they all went to sleep and stuck them on their doors for them to find in the morning. I felt like Santa Claus, and this put me in a better mood.

Knowing that I eventually was going to make their groggy, irritable morning a little bit better, I went to bed that night not with a frown on my face, but a smile. The more random acts of kindness I do in a day, the happier I feel when I go to bed that night. I make an effort to write down these acts of kindness, along with the nice things others did for me so that I am sure to think about these moments and cherish them. I find that it is important to feel happy with yourself as you go to bed since you end up getting a better night’s sleep, you wake up cheerier in the morning, and this eventually improves your physical and mental health. I have been doing this for about seven months now, and I have not regretted any second of it.

Sure, my niceness can get a little excessive. It can appear to be as if I am trying too hard to get people to like me or I am trying to be sneaky, but I promise that I am doing these things purely because I want to. Sometimes I give too much and burn myself out, but I am OK with this because I enjoy helping those around me. It ultimately has given me a much more positive outlook on life, as I know that I can change the kind of day I am having just by doing something nice for someone else; I don’t have to have a bad day unless I really want one.

I challenge you, readers of this article, to complete one day of my Random Acts of Kindness challenge. Take notice of all the little things that people do that make you smile, and be sure to recognize them. Buy that friend their lunch just because you feel like it. Surprise your coworkers with a batch of cupcakes. Clean the whole apartment for your roommates. Write a note to someone to show that you care about them and appreciate them. Whatever you do, just make sure that it ultimately makes the world around you just a little bit better, and I am sure that it will make your life a little happier as well.