Filling the world with small riches

If every home had enough sweetness in it to be spread around, what an ideal place this planet would be! For those who are perhaps too busy to dwell on such things and for others looking for small but effective ways to spread happiness, the following ideas - gathered from people in the UAE - might be just the right ones to make the new year truly enjoyable



1 Smile...

... It can be the only bright spark of another person's day, and it is contagious. People in general are not used to being smiled at, particularly by people they don't know.

"When people smile or even just acknowledge our presence and our work, it's worth more than any tip," says S. S. Ahmed, a petrol station attendant at Emarat.

2 Compliment...

...one person every day, and do it sincerely. It does a lot to empower another person, and you may be the only one to appreciate their efforts.

3 Tell people...

...what they mean to you. "Don't just assume that people will know how you feel about them, and feel the depth of your thanks, but tell them now so it will never be too late," says Julie-Ann Rudge. "Let people know how grateful you are that they are in your life."

4 Acknowledge...

... a stranger on the street. It doesn't even have to be a "Hi, how are you?" kind of greeting, just a nod or smile would do. When travelling in the US, Ashley Newnes found that this simple gesture from passers-by really cheered him up and made him feel at home in a place far from home.

5 Make time...

... for your children's extra-curricular activities and events, no matter how old they are. "My mum always came to everything I did at school, whether it was a play or a game or anything," says Rima Karam. "Even my Dad, with his busy schedule, would try to make it. My Mum in the past has even taken time off work to drop me at an SAT test at another school, and even today she comes with me to my dentist's appointments."

6 Help people...

... with car trouble, whether it's to lend a mobile phone for a few minutes or change a tyre or just offer security and support on a lonely road. "I've had two flat tyres and engine failure in the last two years, and every time someone has stopped to help," says Sabina Khandwani, head of research and marketing at BurJuman Centre. "And it's not even the big people who stop - it's mostly the taxi drivers or other people who lose their business time by stopping. I've had people let me use their telephone, offer to drop me home, and even get dirty trying to fix my car."

7 Pay attention...

... to pedestrians. Stop at a zebra crossing to let them cross, or maybe offer a ride to someone trying to hail a cab on the highway.

8 Craft your cards...

... or small gifts and trinkets. It's easy to spend dirhams and some time on readymade cards, but personal efforts are priceless.

9 Remember...

... the struggles you had trying to find a job, and help others to whatever extent you can. Even if it's as small as forwarding a resume, or putting in a good word for someone, it could make a vital difference to a struggling person in this tough economy. Even if you had no struggle, remember that behind each of these people may be a family depending on them.

10 Leave...

... little notes of love in the lunchbox for your kids, or for your spouse if you're the one who prepares lunch. Particularly in Dubai, where so many executives are often travelling, Julie-Ann Rudge has found it's a great idea to put little love notes in every pair of socks, one for every day that your significant other is away. "It doesn't have to be anything elaborate or poetical, just something that says 'Come home soon' or 'I miss you' or 'I love you'," she remarks.

11 Volunteer...

... and respond to others' volunteer efforts, no matter how remote they are from your world or how little your contribution. During one of BurJuman's breast cancer awareness campaigns, the mall management staff received a tear-filled call and note from a young husband and father of two. After receiving information from volunteers at the mall, his wife got tested for breast cancer and she was diagnosed as being at an early and treatable stage of the disease.

"I have no words to thank you," said the man. "I came for shopping, but you gave me my wife's life back."

"It's those kinds of gestures that makes it worthwhile to be away from your family and be working even beyond your timings," says Khandwani. "That letter and the impact the campaign had on this one family has stayed with me since then. In that situation, it doesn't matter if you're a commercial enterprise or not, but what you do to help others."

12 Give...

... of what you have, no matter how meagre. A lowly-paid salesman, also responding to the stories of breast cancer in the press and the suffering it caused, came to the BurJuman management offices with a bagful of Panadol and other over-the-counter pain-relieving medication with the idea of relieving other people's pain. The money he spent on this would have otherwise gone to his family back home, but he was intent on helping with this cause, although the managers could not eventually accept his offering.

"It's not the money, but the heart," says Khandwani. "Some people have all the money, but no heart. Some people have no money, but all heart."

13 Say 'Thank you'...

... even for small kindnesses or any service rendered - from telephone inquiries to fast-food workers. Even though city roads seem to have an unfair share of selfish, rude drivers, there are those who make the effort to let people in, give them room or otherwise help. Acknowledge these gestures, however small, even with something as simple as a wave. "I do let people in line even in heavy traffic, but more often than not, people just don't bother to say 'thank you' or appreciate your efforts," says Matar Al Suweidi. "People seem to think it's your duty to let them in, but if everyone behaved that way then nothing would be achieved."

14 Share...

... your passion by teaching others. Barry Harmsworth, an engineer by profession and a sailor by passion, came up with the idea of teaching UAE nationals how to sail and proceeded to dedicate his free time to doing so. Since then, the UAE Sailing Club has emerged into a powerful team. "Barry and another coordinator from Dubai Men's College were not paid to do it but they took time out to teach us, and go to sea with us," says Matar Al Suweidi. "If wouldn't have been the same if we had paid for the lessons, the feeling and the interaction is entirely different. It's a great way to build bridges between nationals and the expat community, because these are two separate worlds that hardly meet."

15 Gift flowers...

... to your spouse

16 Get back...

...in touch with people who have shaped your life. Write a letter to your old teacher, the nanny you relied on in your early life, or a former boss who taught you and treated you well