NICE Video: Speaking of Small Talk

The über-nice duo of Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, authors of The Power of Small and The Power of Nice, were so kind as to Tweet me a video demonstrating the power of small talk.

It brought tears to my eyes!



Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval are the experts on how small can be huge! Thanks so much for sharing the video ladies!

NICE Testimonial: The Power of Small Talk

I received an email from Julie B. the other day with an adorable story about how some polite small talk from a kind man at work made an impact on her life.

When I was super pregnant last summer before my son was born, I remember walking through the hall at work one day. There was a guy up ahead of me, and as he went through the door he held it open for me. I said thanks, but as I didn't know the guy, I was pretty much going to ignore him and keep on walking. But he made a comment to me that has stuck with me, and just completely made my day.

"So when are you due?"
"June 26th"
"Ah, a Cancer. That's so great. They stay really close to their families. That's so great for you!"

My first thought was, "this guy knows astrology!" But my second was, "what a totally awesome thing to say!" I mean really, what mother doesn't want to hear that her child will always want to be close to their family? It really made me happy and I thought about it often.

Well, I've been back at work for three months now, and I just happened to see the guy today in the hall. Yet again I was going to walk by and ignore him, he was talking with someone else. But he asks as I walked by,

"So what did you have?"
"A boy. He's doing really great."

It was nice that he remembered me, and it was nice to be reminded of that time last summer, and smile again at what he said. My only regret? I kept on walking! Why didn't I stop and say thank you, and say how much his comment made me smile? If one comment from him could make my day like it did back then, what would a thank you and an acknowledgment that I remember his kind words do for him today? I promised myself, next time I see him, I'm stopping and telling him.

First of all, how cute is Julie's baby boy??? I know, right! Secondly, I love this story because it shows how a friendly comment can really affect someone. And Julie's right, telling the gentleman how she appreciated what he said would probably make his day too, so hopefully she'll run into him again soon. :) I know speaking up to strangers is tough for me. When I miss out on an opportunity to be nice, I always think afterwards, "I should have said something!" I need to take a cue from Julie's kind coworker!

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Stuff: what's your virtue?

I am a cosmetics fiend. Aside from the grocery store and Target, I probably spend the majority of my paycheck in Sephora. My vanity is filled to the brim with every brand of makeup I can get my manicured hands on!

So I was thrilled when I received an email from Taylor with a link to a great lip gloss company called what's your virtue? Their first line, Lip Bliss™, "contains cranberry seed oil, a fantastic moisturizer that contributes to the lipid barrier protection of the skin and assists in moisture retention."

But what really caught my eye? The names of the shades!


Well gosh, "kindness" has to be my shade, right? I suppose I could take a break from my tube of "Rebel" by MAC. I'm not much of a rebel anyway. So now when I pay a compliment to be nice, it'll be coming from lips of kindness. :)

Click here to check out the what's your virtue? website!

NICE Stuff: Artzy Amy

I can't express how grateful I am for all the support I've received regarding the previous post! You guys make me feel like I can accomplish anything. You know, if this thing moves forward, I'm going to need all of you even more! I hope you're ready for that. :)

I wanted to share this lovely piece of mixed media artwork that graphic designer/artist/cellist/etc Amy Lindemann emailed to me. Amy, I couldn't agree more!



I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Need your help!

Remember a few weeks ago I wrote about the Pepsi Refresh Project? I was playing around with the idea of submitting my own idea (Operation NICE, of course) for a grant. But since this movement wouldn't be anything without all of you, I wanted to get your thoughts!

So here's the plan.

I thought maybe I could try for the $25K grant. My number one priority would be to turn Operation NICE into a legitimate, full-fledged non-profit organization. It's something I've always wanted to do, but I don't have the financial means at this moment.

Then, once I'm all set up, the designer in me would like to create NICE Tool Kits that all of you NICE Ambassadors could use to spread kindness in your areas. Maybe print NICE Notes, posters, t-shirts, etc. A whole slew of paraphernalia that would help others promote the idea of being nice.

In addition to that, I'd like to use some of the grant to develop a plan for NICE Workshops. Maybe a program that could be brought into schools to teach children the importance of kindness. I loved what Sugar Creek Elementary did, and I'd love it if more schools participated in something like that.

So what do you think? I've always wanted Operation NICE to be more than just a blog, but I feel like I've stalled. This might be a great way to take it to the next level without freaking my husband out by depleting our savings account. :) Do you guys have any other ideas? What would you like to see Operation NICE evolve into? I would love to hear your thoughts!

NICE Stuff: Operation Smiley Face

I received a treat in the mail the other day from a very special supporter of Operation NICE. L, from Operation Smiley Face, sent me a handmade (by her) smiley pin for me and my husband!

L has come across some difficult times, and instead of feeling down about it, she decided she wanted to spread smiles as far and wide as she could. And she has been! Since June of 2009 she has given 748 smiley pins, and her goal is to reach 2010 by the end of 2010.

Want your own?

Visit her website for more information about how you can receive a smiley pin. And if you'd like to help her spread smiles, you can also make a donation via paypal or even send her some mailing supplies or button making supplies.

Her button packaging says, "I hope you smile." Well, I sure did! Thanks, L, for thinking of me and for making the world smile!

NICE Campaign: Random Acts of Kindness Week

Random Acts of Kindness cards
Originally uploaded by h e i d i b u r t o n

Hi guys! Did you know it's Random Acts of Kindness Week? Now that's my kind of week. Even more than American Chocolate Week. :) Well, almost.

There's a wonderful article in Etsy's Storque with thoughts and tips from nice gal all around Heidi Burton.

Heidi also teamed up with the awesome blog Undercover Kindness to create a free download specifically for this week, and I have to say, they ROCK! These kindness cards are perfect for slyly slipping to a friend or loved one or stranger! I love the "You stand out in a crowd" card. Plus Heidi's illustrations really make it special. I might just have to give them to myself.

In addition to this fabulous download, Heidi has links to great websites and campaigns that are out there spreading the NICE love! And check out the Related Items at the end of the Storque article. I think I want one of each. :) Also, I want to thank Heidi for the mention! That made my day!

NICE News: Making a Difference at 14

I saw this video on CNN this morning and had to share.

Jessica founded her charity, Richard's Rwanda, when she was only 11 years old. And in three years, she's helped raise $75,000 to aid children growing up in Rwanda.



How inspiring is this girl?! To have the motivation and ambition and benevolent attitude at such a young age is remarkable. Way to go, Jessica, for being a role model to other kids as well as adults like me!

NICE News: Creative Philanthropy

This morning I received an email from Heidi K. with this article from the NY Times about how far $100 can go.

Courtney Martin founded the Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy. It's not about giving grandiose amounts. Or about giving everything you have. It's simply about giving, and doing so in a creative fashion. The article is awesome and gives details about what ten different people did with $100.



I particularly like this part:
Or what if every average Joe just made a pact with his five best friends that they would get together once a year and share how they donated their money? To start, they’d surely get around to actually donating that money: and yes, accountability is as much the point for Ms. Martin as celebration.

That is so true. I love this entire concept! The fact that this Secret Society exists puts a huge smile on my face, and I can't wait to see what future creative philanthropic gestures they come up with!

Wish me luck!!!

Hi guys! I'm blogging from my iPhone because I'm in the car on my way to the Positivity Project awards ceremony/events. EEP!!! We have a luncheon, a community service event, dinner, then off to the John Tesh holiday concert where the grand prize winner will be announced! If you have any good vibes to spare, please send 'em my way! I'm so nervous!!

I'll tell you all about it tomorrow! Have a fabulous Monday!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ask Me Anything

Hi guys! Since I can't seem to avoid a good time suck, I joined formspring.me. On the right hand side of this page, you can see a little "Ask Me Anything" box. Feel free to submit any questions you may have, and I'll do my best to answer them.

I've already really enjoyed answering the questions I've received thus far! It made me think more deeply about this project, which was kind of, well, NICE!

NICE Assignment: Give Valentines

I admit it. I love Valentine's Day. Nine years ago on February 14th, my husband and I started dating, so of course it holds a special place in my lovey-dovey heart. But my appreciation for this holiday started at a much earlier age.

February 14, 1987 — It was my second grade year at Veteran's Memorial Elementary School in Bricktown, NJ. We set up envelopes on the backs of our chairs for collecting valentines from our classmates. After they were all distributed, I started tearing through those mini cards. Care bears. Strawberry Shortcake. All with love from my 7 year old friends. But one card was extra special.

It had a worm crawling out of an apple on the front and it read, "You are the apple of my eye." Then written in pencil on the back of the card was, "I really like you and I was wondering if you like me too." This little love note came from classmate Michael F. and yes, I did like him too. We had a delightful second grade romance until my family moved away in April. *sigh*

Anyway, exchanging valentines each year, even if they only came from friends and not secret elementary school crushes, was always one of my favorite activities. It made me feel special, liked, even loved. As we got older and sending Valentines wasn't mandatory anymore, I missed it. In 1997, my high school boyfriend, Tim, filled out two boxes of kids valentines and taped them up in my locker for it. And I loved it just as much as I had ten years earlier.

All of these memories came back to me when I received an email from reader Becca B. the other day. She wrote:
I was in LOVE with the send a note to a stranger idea- so I adapted/adopted it to Valentine's Day and am sending out 20 old school, handmade V-Day cards next week. Thank you so much for this & other inspirations!

Today's Assignment: Give Valentines
Becca has a great idea. Why not send out Valentines like we used to? And if you don't have time to make some out of doilies and markers, just buy a box! Imagine how your friends, family, coworkers (even strangers perhaps?) will feel when they get one of those little envelopes in their hand. It's a gesture that doesn't require much money or effort, but it's guaranteed to bring a smile to someone's face.

I hope that you'll play along! And maybe you'll discover that you're the apple of someone's eye. :)

NICE Film: A Small Act

I received an email the other day from Emily with a link to this post on Mental Floss.

A Small Act is a documentary film that was recently in competition at Sundance. From the website:

THE STORY
When Hilde Back sponsored a young, impoverished Kenyan student, she thought nothing of it. She paid roughly $15 dollars per term to keep him in primary school. She certainly never expected to hear from him, but many years later, she does. Chris Mburu has been thinking of his “angel” Hilde since he was a boy. The small contribution she made paid off – Chris went all the way to Harvard. Now, he’s a respected UN human rights lawyer, dedicating his life to battling genocide and crimes against humanity. Chris decides to replicate Hilde’s generosity by starting his own scholarship fund, and he names it after her. This scholarship will educate bright kids in his village so they can also succeed and give back. But Chris is stunned when Kenya’s public schools start failing, and only two new students qualify for sponsorship. Simultaneously, Kenya falls into ethnic-based election violence. After working on conflicts in neighboring countries, Chris knows that ignorance fuels ethnic hatred. Education has never been more important. Chris must decide what to do.

And here is the trailer for the film:


I can't wait to see this! I hope that it ends up showing at the Philadelphia Film Festival this spring. For anyone that has ever wondered if their actions could make a difference in someone's life, this film is the response.

NICE Assignment: Rock the (Pepsi) Vote

Happy Monday!

I just heard about Pepsi's Refresh Everything project, and I wanted to share it with you. Pepsi is giving away $1.3 million in grants to folks like you and me who have an idea that will improve their community (or even their world). The cool part is that it's divided up so that quite a few projects will have the opportunity to take shape. They accept new ideas every month. (Hmm, maybe an Operation NICE grant would be helpful!)


Today's Assignment: Rock the Vote

Help make these dreams come true by participating in the voting process! Just go to Refresh Everything and check out the projects in the running. There are some brilliant ideas listed that might even inspire you!

And in case you need a little nudge regarding which project to vote for, a friend of mine, Jess Sand, has her project in the running right here. She and her partners are looking to "empower the next generation of sustainable designers." Read about how they plan to use the $50,000 grant, should they win. All they have to do is get into the top ten!

Sustainable design not your thing? That's cool! There are plenty of other ideas, from forming "an all girls club that promotes self-esteem in poverty area" to getting "1,000,000 young adults onto bikes for everyday transportation" to providing "housing and day care for survivors of domestic violence." Your vote could help launch a powerful project thanks to the NICE folks at Pepsi.