Good deeds are also good for you!

Would you like to do something good for yourself? Hopefully, you would say “yes”! You can get some pretty good feelings from being kind to yourself. Now, we’ll ask, would you like to do something good for someone else? Probably “yes”, but it may seem a bit harder to do. After all, you’re busy and not sure what to do. So, today we’ll share stories of good deeds, the benefits they can have on our body mind and spirit and how each of us can make a difference.

What got us thinking about good deeds involves two stories. The first story is what a businessman we know told us happened to him and the other story is something that happened to us. The businessman shared that his personal values are, “Be kind, be respectful and do good in the world”. He went to the store to get his wife some flowers and purchase a few other things. At the checkout lane, the clerk put the flowers off to the side of the counter.

The businessman got home, unpacked his purchases and didn’t see the flowers. So, back to the store. He mentioned he didn’t have the flowers and asked if someone picked them up and put them somewhere. The clerk said the flowers were not to be found and gave him new flowers and said he didn’t have to pay for them.

However, when the businessman got home, he checked the back seat of the car again and found the first bouquet of flowers, squished behind the front seat. He could have debated with himself whether to let it go and not pay for the second flowers, but that’s not who he is – he has the utmost integrity and he lives his values by doing the right thing. So, back to the store to pay for the second set of flowers! That’s why he’s so successful in life and business.

The other story we’ll share happened to us as we were shopping for flowers right before Mother’s Day. We wanted a pink mandevilla plant to put on our deck. We had searched through all the plants and couldn’t find a pink one. At the checkout lane, we saw a woman who had three of the pink ones in her cart. We asked her where she found them and she said they were hard to find. We mentioned that we looked thoroughly and there were none left. Immediately, she said, “Here, enjoy Mother’s Day!” as she took one of her plants from her cart and plopped it in our cart. At first, we told her “No, that’s your very own Mother’s Day plant!” But she insisted that she could come back another day to get one for herself.

As we paid for the plant, we enjoyed its beauty and the warmth of receiving her good deed. This kind woman is Sue Gonyea, who has a site, https://DoGoodThings-Gonyea.com. This foundation teaches young people how to volunteer in communities and be stronger and better leaders. Sue volunteers in many ways and we see she leads by example.

The benefits that good deeds have on people are quite amazing. It’s interesting that whether you do the good deeds, someone else does them to you or you just observe them being done to someone else, you can experience many health benefits. Here are just a few. Stress is lowered, mood goes up and you feel happier. The immune system gets a boost. People become more social, make friends and can get a sense of purpose.

David Hamilton, Ph.D., who formerly developed medications for pharmaceutical companies, left to study natural methods to prevent heart disease. He shared that blood pressure can be lowered by spreading kindness and good deeds. Who wouldn’t want those benefits – and without any negative side effects!

What about you? What good deeds can you do and what good deeds have you received or observed?

Some inspiration: Doing good deeds doesn’t have to be a daunting task. You can make a difference by how you conduct your life, live your values and do good deeds whether they be big or small. “Your good deeds might seem invisible but they leave a trail on the hearts of others.” (Author unknown) We encourage you to reach out. There are many places to volunteer and sometimes just a kind word or action will make someone’s day. If we each do our good deeds, it can help create a better, more caring community and world. And remember, good deeds are also good for you!

Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2019 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.