If there’s one thing the world needs more of, it’s kindness in our everyday lives. This February 17 marks Random Acts of Kindness Day, the perfect time for people and organizations to encourage everyone to try to make the world a better place, one random act at a time. It’s all part of a larger kindness movement, but why stop there? There are always opportunities to carry the tradition beyond mid-February with daily acts of kindness, and even the smallest acts can have an impact far bigger than we can imagine. To give you some ideas, we compiled a few ways for you to embrace kindness year-round. Pay It Forward One of the best ways you can make someone’s day is to pay it forward, as in, paying ahead of time for the person behind you. In some coffee shops, you’ll be able to pay a bit extra to cover the order of the person who comes after you in hopes that they’ll do the same for the person who comes after them. There are also some local restaurants who give you the opportunity to make a donation of $5 or $10 to go towards paying for a meal for someone who may be struggling with food insecurity. You could even leave a few dollars next to a vending machine. You never know what someone may be going through, and a few extra dollars can go a long way.

Volunteer Your Time From shoveling snow or helping an elderly person run errands, think about ways you can offer your time to a local organization or even a neighbour who might be in need. If you’re not exactly sure how to help, you can reach out to volunteer your time anywhere from food banks to animal shelters depending on where you live and what you’re interested in. Love agriculture? Consider planting trees, fruits, or vegetables in a local community garden.

Clean Up Your Community From your own street to the neighbourhood public park, there are many spaces around you that could use some freshening up. While there are more organized initiatives that approach this in a more routine way, there’s nothing stopping you from putting on some gloves and other protective gear and placing trash in their rightful spot. You can even assemble a team of friends and family to help cover more ground in a shorter amount of time.

Make a Donation Getting rid of things you no longer need doesn’t have to be wasteful, and can be yet another way to inspire kindness. Clothing that’s still in good condition, food that hasn’t passed its expiry date and other items that are still usable even if you no longer want them are perfect to bring to organizations like the Sick Kids Foundation, United Way, or The Salvation Army. People from all walks of life may very well benefit from your generosity.

Be a Mentor You might not realize it, but you likely have something that you can teach someone else. Whether you’re a computer programmer helping others break into tech or one creative spirit helping another find their artistic voice, there’s always knowledge that you can impart. Consider the things that you’re good at and think about how impactful it was (or would have been!) to have someone instructing and guiding you along the way. If you don’t feel like you’ll be able to find people to share your talents with on your own, volunteering with organizations like Boys and Girls Club or Youth Assisting You can always point you in the right direction.

Regardless of the method you choose to use to spread kindness, the most important thing is that you’re prioritizing kindness in the first place.

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