How often do you encounter an opportunity to perform a good deed?

Maybe not even a good deed, but an opportunity to say a kind word or gesture.

When you are fortunate enough to come across an opportunity to perform a good deed or say a kind word, what do you do?

Do you act upon the opportunity, or do you let it slip away?

Look, I know you’re busy and caught up in all the commitments and tasks you must get through by the end of your day, but, fortunately for you, there’s still time in your schedule to squeeze in a good deed or two.

Acting on an opportunity to perform a good deed or say a kind word doesn’t take much time, and the good news is that studies show that you will benefit just as much, if not more, than the recipient of your action.

Here’s a quote that might be of interest to you.

“People who engage in kind acts become happier over time,” says Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. “When you are kind to others, you feel good as a person — more moral, optimistic, and positive,” she says. Lyubomirsky has studied happiness for over 20 years.

And if feeling good isn’t enough of a motivator for you, then you might also like to know that researchers have also found a link between performing good deeds and living longer – “helping others reduced mortality specifically by buffering the association between stress and mortality.” So, you can, although I don’t recommend it, do good for strictly selfish reasons.

So, the next time you’re inspired or have the opportunity to perform a good deed or say a kind word, do it as soon as possible. Don’t wait until later, or when you think you’ll have more time because there never is more time. Oh, and one last thing. You’ll find that the more you practice doing good, the more opportunities to do good will come your way – which means you’ll feel more positive about your own life, and there’s even a chance you’ll live longer too.

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