Picking Up Litter - 25 Day Challenge

“There aren't many things that are universally cool, and it's cool not to litter. I'd never do it.” ― Matthew McConaughey

Each day leading up to Christmas, I will provide you with one or two things to do during the day. Call them acts of kindness or call them acts of just being nice. Each will only take a few minutes and are very easy to accomplish. Try them and then let me know what you did and how it went by leaving me a comment.

Day One - Hope On A Lamp Pole
Day Two - Allowing Others First
Day Three - Calming Automobile Rides

Day Four - Picking Up Litter

Just a few statistics that we can think about for a moment.

75% - Percent of people who have admitted to littering in the past 5 years

A simple candy wrapper, the empty water bottle and the ubiquitous cigarette butt. All of these things end up along our streets, sidewalks, highways and parks. Many of us are moving through life too fast to take notice, but it is there.

50% - Percent of all littered items that are cigarette butts

Look out your car window at most any street intersection. Would that person throw their cigarette butts out onto their own driveway or front sidewalk? Some yes, most others no. It is is easier to dirty the streets then dirty their own cars ash tray.

12 paces - Average steps a person will hold a piece of trash before littering

Some will argue it is too difficult to carry an empty soda can very far. The burden of finding a trash can becomes too much and thus is thrown to the side; left for someone else to pick up because we could not be bothered any longer.

$11.5 Billion - Total U.S. annual amount spent cleaning up litter yearly

My guess is the cost is much higher then this. Yet people continue to litter and this is a societal cost. But we can choose to have clean streets or live amid increasing filth.

So the challenge today is quite simple. If you see something on the floor at work, home, sidewalk, store; pick it up and throw it in a trash bin. Secondly, choose not to litter with your cigarette butts, candy wrappers or other trash.

I am not asking you to take on responsibility for the world. It is a simple task and if we each take a small amount of responsibility, things will be much better for all of us.

And doing so is doing something nice for others.

Let me know how it went and stay inspired my friends!

Calming Automobile Rides - 25 Day Challenge

“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.” ― Dave Barry

Each day leading up to Christmas, I will provide you with a couple of things to do during the day. Call them acts of kindness or call them acts of just being nice. Each will only take a few minutes and are very easy to accomplish. Try them and then let me know what you did and how it went by leaving me a comment.

Day One - Hope On A Lamp Pole
Day Two - Allowing Others First

Day Three - Calming Automobile Rides

Your driving happily in the right hand lane down the road. It might be the freeway or a four-lane city street. Life could not be any better as you make your way to some destination. Traffic is starting to slow and you see a car coming down the on-ramp.

Hey look, they are trying to edge in ahead of you so of course you are not going to let that happen. Make them wait their turn just like everyone else is what you tell yourself. But they edge in and through their actions and your efforts to keep them from cutting in, an accident nearly occurs.

Relax and let it go.

The challenge today is to one car cut in line on every journey. Maybe they are pulling onto the street from a parking lot, wanting to turn left in front of you or trying to merge onto the freeway. Just let them and do so with a smile.

Additionally, I want you to let someone have that parking spot up close to the store or near your work entrance. Let another person have the short walk and you take the parking spot on the other end of the parking lot.

Relax and let it go.

You have now done a kind thing for another person and you get a small bit of exercise by walking further from your car. Your stress will be much less and most certainly we can all use a bit more exercise in our life.

Go for it, let me know how it went and stay inspired my friends!

Allowing Others First - 25 Day Challenge

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ― Mark Twain

Yesterday I wrote about some sweet kids up in Canada doing something nice for those less fortunate. It was an article meant to inspire and have you to realize that even small things can make a big difference.

Now here is my holiday season challenge to you.

Each day starting today up to Christmas, I will provide you with a couple of things to do during the day. Call them acts of kindness or call them acts of just being nice. Each will only take a few minutes and are very easy to accomplish.

Even small things can make a big difference.

Day One - Hope On A Lamp Pole
Day Two - Allowing Others First

Today the challenge is quite simple but can be difficult in execution. All of us are busy, rushing to work, rushing to get lunch, rushing home, rushing, rushing, rushing.

We simply want to get to the next thing as fast as we can.

So the challenge today is to let someone in front of you in line. This could be as simple as holding the door open which means they get to the coffee counter first. If you are standing in line, let the person behind you go ahead of you.

The challenge in either case is you have engage in conversation with a stranger. But you only have to smile and say Happy Holiday or Merry Christmas or some other holiday type greeting.

Even small things can make a big difference.

Let me know what you did and how it went by leaving me a comment. And stay inspired my friends!

Hope On A Lamp Pole

Photos: Tara Atkins-Smith

"You can't eat hope,' the woman said. You can't eat it, but it sustains you,' the colonel replied.” ― Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

Here is an idea for the holiday season; providing clothes to the homeless. A group kids in Halifax, Nova Scotia by wrapping warm clothing around lamp poles for the city’s homeless to pick up and use.

As the mother of one the children, Tara Atkins-Smith says, "We just want to put out there that there’s always help to be found. I don’t want anybody to ever feel hopeless."

Never feel hopeless

Helping others understand there is always a chance or opportunity in life is something each of us can do for another person. Try to give others the opportunity to experience hope. In turn, they might just turn their hope into opportunity and opportunity into achievement.

Stay inspired my friends!