#incmedia

Below is a list of 21 different acts of kindness you can take part in. They’re easy. They’re simple. But, most of all, we hope they remind you of how powerful doing good can be.

Say thank you, smile and hand an incmedia.org card to your server, your neighbor, the carpool, anyone really!

Buy someone a cup of coffee or pay for a stranger’s meal.

Write and leave positive sticky notes for your friend, kids, parents, etc.

Show kindness on your commute. Give away your parking spot, give up a seat on the train for someone, and be polite on the road.

Help someone carry his or her shopping bags to the parking lot.

Practice gratitude – compliment a stranger, say thank you to mail carriers, send a “thank you” card/email to a teacher that inspires/inspired you.

Send a card to people who dedicate their lives to helping us – soldiers, police officers, firefighters and teachers to name a few.

Leave quarters at a laundromat or tape some change to a vending machine for someone to use along with an incmedia.org card.

Contact an organization you’ve always wanted to volunteer at to find out how and schedule a time to volunteer.

Be a welcoming neighbor — rake someone’s leaves, offer to clear someone’s driveway during the winter, bring in your neighbor’s trashcans.

Help new (or even not so new) parents – offer to unload their car, cook a meal, pick up groceries, etc.

Leave a nice server the biggest tip you can afford.

Deliver a bouquet of flowers to a nearby nursing home.

Donate a piece of clothing for every new item you bought recently.

Bring doughnuts (or a healthy treat, like cut-up fruit) to share at work or school.

Tweet or Facebook message a genuine compliment to three people right now.

Leave free bus fare for someone or fill up a metro/subway/train card for someone to use.

Offer a homeless person your bag from the restaurant.

Help clear someone’s driveway.

Donate new/used books.

Volunteer — go to a soup kitchen, a shelter, a food bank, etc. and spend a couple of hours volunteering.

Power off. Turn the music off, turn the TV off, and power down all your devices. This means any device that can potentially distract you. It’s a scary thought but you will survive a few moments without these things competing for your attention. It’s then that you can take in the quiet and find a truly solitary moment. So take it all in and listen. Do you hear that? It’s the sound of silence filling the room.

Spend time on a hobby. A hobby is another great way to find solitude. There are thousands to choose from. You can explore the intricacies of gardening one day, the techniques of true marksmanship with archery the next, and then explore the vastness of space with a telescope the next. Try these or find some of your own that truly interest you and go for it. Spend time on this new hobby to find some solitude.

Exercise. Exercise is a great way to maintain your health and also find solitude. What you choose to do really depends on your fitness level and what fitness goals you have in mind. Combining stretching and core workouts are good choices for low-impact, strength workouts. If cardio is your goal, but you don’t want to be on a treadmill, try boxing or kickboxing exercises to get your heart pumping and to also get a full body workout. Whichever you choose, the focus and effort that exercise requires offers a chance for some solitude.

Find a quiet place at home. Even your home, which can be a hectic place, can offer some solitude in places you wouldn’t have expected. You know your home best so find that space where you can spend some moments in peace. Even the most unlikely of places could be a place of solitude.

Go for a drive. If finding a place at home isn’t working out for you, then try going for a drive. Don’t set a destination. Just go for a few laps around the block or around town. Keep the radio off and your phone on silent. Enjoy the surprising peace and quiet that driving offers when there aren’t any passengers or a destination to worry about.

Ride a bike. Riding a bike is naturally solitary. If you have one to use, take it for a spin around the block, around town or even through a park. Unlike a drive in the car, this still offers an opportunity to be alone with your thoughts but still enjoy the elements and sounds of your outside environment. Pedal into a steady rhythm and pace and take the time to appreciate your moment of solitude.

Go for a hike. If riding a bike isn’t an option, then you can go for a hike. A hike doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go to a mountain or forest. Both are great options that allow you to enjoy nature and solitude at the same time. But if a mountain or forest trail isn’t available, a walk around the neighborhood or city works too. Those are suburban/urban varieties of a hike. Either way, a hike, just like a drive or a bike ride, offers a solitary moment. Choose which works best for you and make the most of it.

Chores. Yes…you’re reading that right! Some people try to avoid the chores. But what our chores might lack in the “fun” category, they make up for in giving us moments of solitude. Most chores are an individual effort. Whether it be cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard work, or taking the trash out- it’s a necessary part of our lives that offers moments of solitude. So when the time comes for that chore, do it well and enjoy that moment of solitude.