Top 10 Good Deeds to Do Before You Die
Even if you have no other reason to do a good deed than it'll make you feel superior, a good deed still helps someone. Doing something good can be motivated by religious reasons, social/cultural pressure, financial benefit, or just prideful piety. Regardless, the results are that other people benefit. You can give a dollar to a charity to prove a point but the charity still gets a dollar.
Sometimes the best birthday gift can be to donate to a charity that the person believes in.
When I become a theoretical scientist and have an enormous amount of cash, I will donate $1 million to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Always, there is always someone worse off than you.
Make it genuine and sincere. Pick something about someone you see on the street or in the halls and give them a real compliment. Looks, clothes, smile, whatever. Just make it something authentic, smile, and keep walking.
Everyone in this world longs for appreciation. It is all a matter of impressing. So it's good that we show that we are impressed with someone's efforts. A word of appreciation can sometimes mean a lot.
Picked up a teenager carrying his acoustic guitar without a case just as it started to rain. He had long hair and was radically dressed, which would put off most people. It rained harder and harder, so I took him to his destination: church.
It doesn't have to be a hitchhiker. It can be someone from your neighborhood heading to the store or school.
Shovel snow, mow the lawn, rake leaves, whatever. Just find something in your neighborhood that needs to be done. Knock on the person's door and ask for their permission to do it. Then do it with a smile. Leave when you're done and ask for nothing in return.
You may need to keep a watchful eye if you are untrusting, but they will still appreciate it.
Getting gas in your car at the station and see someone pull up to the pump next to you? Why not offer to buy them a tank of gas? Who's going to say no to that?
This is something I really want to do.
You can usually get paid for donating plasma. Regardless, give some much-needed blood or plasma to an organization that needs it. If you want to go over the top, organize a blood drive at your work or school and get others involved.
Those emails you get from the blood donation people saying "Someone, Somewhere, Needs Your Help!" make you feel temporarily like a superhero.
I've always wanted to. It's something that does good for others, and the only pain associated with it is needles.
Did this one while my family and I were driving on a mountain. A man about 40-50 years old pulled up next to the car on a motorcycle and asked me to take a picture of him standing next to a nearby sign with the name of the mountain on it. I offered to do it, and within 10 seconds, it was done. I gave him back his phone, got back in the car, and watched him ride off.
Once I was at Disney's California Adventure. A woman came up to me and asked me to take a picture of her and her family in front of Paradise Pier. I took the picture for them, and they were very happy.
It can be macaroni and cheese or something that requires a recipe and some real work. Try offering to make a full meal (getting takeout doesn't really count) and do the cleanup afterward. Just say it's to show appreciation for your family and leave it at that.
The Newcomers
This is kind of a risk-reward move but definitely worth it if you find the right person.
Send flowers to your grandmother or send a postcard to a cousin. Let your loved ones know you're thinking about them.
I really want to adopt a daughter. It would be an interesting experience for me and hopefully my daughter.
I keep on forgetting to do that.
A kid's smile in a hospital, when their life is at risk every day, is one of the best moments ever.
They have certainly earned it.