NICE Testimonial: Much Needed Niceness

Have you guys been giving out compliments this week? I had a blast on Compliment Day! There was a big ole Twitter love-fest happening on Monday. I was pretty much smiling the entire day. Hmm, perhaps every day should be compliment day!

Today's testimonial was sent to me a few months ago from Caitlin P. of England. I'm all for performing random acts of kindness for strangers, but sometimes a close friend is the one who needs it the most.

About 6 months ago my husband and I decided to split up after 8 years as a couple. I live in England, a long way away from my friends and family in the US. We set a date when he would move out and on that day I received a large box from my best friend in the states containing 8 wrapped packages. There was also a note that said I wasn't to open them all at once but that I should open one at a time at times I was feeling particularly low.

Slowly over about two weeks I opened them at particularly bad moments as I dealt with the reality of being on my own and feeling alone. Some were big presents, like DVDs of cheesy films from my teen years. Others were small, like a pack of taco seasoning (something I miss from the states) and a box of oreos. But every time I opened one of them it put a smile on my face since each one was perfectly chosen and told me that my friend was thinking about me.

I've filed away this idea for the next time someone I love is going through a hard time -- it really really helped me!

It's so wonderful that Caitlin has a kind friend to provide support through tough times, even when they don't live in the same country. Is there someone in your life that could use a non-random act of kindness?

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

NICE Assignment: Pay a Compliment

Even though I wrote about it two years ago, I would have totally forgotten that today, January 24th, is Compliment Day. Lucky for me, I received a little reminder in my mailbox.

It came from my friends over at Curious & Company, the nicest group of incredibly talented designers that I have been fortunate enough to get to know. And I'm not just saying that because they sent me a card saying I'm awesome. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one to receive this mailing. :)

The fun part was on the inside. (And it was very considerate of them to coordinate their design with my office wall color.)

It came with adorable little compliment cards attached. I'm a big fan of "You wear the best ties!" probably because I like wearing fun ties. Getting cards during the holiday season is great and all, but receiving a card for an unexpected holiday like this one is pretty darn fantastic! Thanks Brooke, Maggie, Drew, Terry, and Chris!

Today's Assignment: Pay a Compliment

So, let's celebrate this nicest of holidays! Aren't quite sure what to say? Maybe the person you want to compliment doesn't wear ties all that often? Well, the Compliment Day website has a whole list of possible compliment options.

I'm going to attempt to compliment TEN people today. This can be difficult for my quiet, socially awkward self, but I think it's a great exercise in kindness. Who's in?!

By the way, you have excellent taste in blogs. ;)

Operation NICE in SELF Magazine!

Got a fun little mention in the February issue of SELF Magazine! I'd have to agree that being nice is a great way to spend Valentine's Day. :) And a special hello to any SELF Magazine readers that stopped by to check us out!

NICE Giveaway #18: And the winner is!

Hi everyone! Last week was a CRAZY one for me. I work in a marketing department for a blah blah blah blah blah company (let's just keep things vague), and we had our big ole annual meeting last Wednesday and Thursday. Even more exhausting than the meeting preparation (printing out a gajillion handouts, formatting the heck out of Powerpoint presentations, etc.) was socializing with the other departments. I tend to keep to myself, so schmoozing is not a talent I possess. Well, 12 more months until I have to go through that again!

Anyway, I wanted to hurry up and get you guys a winner for the amazing Shabby Apple dress giveaway that ended last Thursday!

Did you guys read the responses? They were AWESOME. If you didn't, I recommend you browsing through the comments of the post because they will totally lift your spirits! But hey, I had to pick a winner. So I took a few photos in the process. :)

And comment number 15 works out to be one of my favorite people in the world, my BFF Devon! I triple checked to make sure she was comment 15, and sure enough, she was! YAY DEVON! Here was her submission:

can i enter for somebody? a girl here at work (Marisa) was working the front desk and saw that a woman that works here had ordered pizza. well, her total came to almost 50 bucks and she left the guy a 2 dollar tip. :( Marisa was very upset that he got so stiffed, and called the pizza parlor back to order a 10 dollar gatorade so he would get a decent tip. so sweet!!! i'd love if i could win her a dress.

How cute is that?! Her random act of kindness was actually submitting someone ELSE'S random act of kindness! Well, Dev, better tell Marisa to pick out a dress! I'll send you the details. Congrats!!

And thanks so much to Shabby Apple for sponsoring this giveaway and encouraging the spread of kindness! You rock!

NICE Assignment: MLK 25 Challenge

Did you guys have a lovely weekend? Once again, I had little to do, so I took great advantage of that. Let's just say my fuzzy blanket and I are best friends. I have a tough week ahead of me at work, so if you could send some stress-free vibes my way, that would rock.

Some of you might know that today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the U.S. which, in 1994, became the National Day of Service to honor Dr. King. From the MLK Day website: "The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community."

Life's persistent and most urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?"
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

You might be thinking to yourself, "But Melissa, it's too late for me to find a project!" Well, serving for one day is awesome, but pledging to serve throughout the year is exponentially awesome! So to mark the 25th anniversary of this holiday, the MLK 25 Challenge has launched.

They're encouraging people to perform 25 acts that will better your community in 2011. Simple or grand, ever action makes a difference!

Today's Assignment: MLK 25 Challenge

There is a fantastic list of 75 ideas to help get you started. Really, this list could be titled "75 NICE Things to Do," so it only seemed appropriate to take the Challenge, don't you think?

And you know what? If you look at the list and find ten things that look like fun that you'd like to do this year...FABULOUS! But I think we should continually ask ourselves that question that Dr. King posed, "What are you doing for others?"

So what do you guys think about this? Are there a few list items that you'd be willing to give a shot?

NICE Giveaway: Shabby Apple

If you've been reading this blog for a little while, you might know that I am kind of in love with shopping. You know, to the point where I have to get all my packages delivered to work so my husband doesn't freak out on me. What can I say, I love clothes.

So how stoked was I when Nancy over at Shabby Apple sent me an email saying she'd love to sponsor a giveaway! Well, first I was sad because it's a giveaway I can't win, but then I thought about how fun it'll be for you guys!

Turns out the folks at Shabby Apple LOVE niceness. And they wanted to do a little something to encourage you all to go out there and participate in a random act of kindness. They're doing that by offering up one of their amazing dresses as a prize! The winner can choose from a list of over 20 that they selected (including maternity and even toddler dresses). These were my personal faves from the list. :)

(From left to right, the Cider dress, the Circo dress, and the Nine to Five dress)

HAWT, right?

So, what does this giveaway have to do with kindness? Well, in order to enter to win one of these stunning pieces of work, you need to perform a random act of kindness and then post what you did in the comments of this post. I'll pick the winner randomly because I personally think all acts of kindness are extremely valuable, from the small to the huge!

The giveaway will run until next Thursday, January 20, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. So get your comments in!

Thanks so much to the kindness promoters over at Shabby Apple for offering to do this giveaway! And GOOD LUCK!!!

NICE Testimonial: Pay Education Forward

Hi guys! Are you experiencing any snow where you are? I got to break in my new, spaceman-esque, white snow boots this morning while putting the recycling at the curb. It was exciting, for sure.

Have you written any letters yet? My friend Crystal, who gave me the stationery in the previous post, posted this photo of FIVE letters she wrote on Monday! Yay! Now I kinda feel like a slacker because I haven't written mine yet. But I will! Tonight...hopefully.

Today's testimonial comes from Annette in NYC, pictured here with her daughter. Can you believe they aren't sisters?? Annette shared a story that touched her heart, in hopes that it will inspire others.

My daughter attended a very small high school in the China town section of NYC. It is not a rich neighborhood and the kids were all a mix of ethnicities. At my daughter's high school senior awards night, the teachers were handing out college scholarships to all of the students that performed well during the year from corporations or businesses in the neighborhood.

Toward the end of the evening two middle aged women stood up and walked to the stage. They told a story of wanting to go to college when they were teenagers but couldn't afford it. A friend of the family gave them loans to go to college with the understanding that they would pay them back when they graduated with a degree. When the women graduated from college and wanted to pay back their friend, they were told not to pay her back, but to pay it forward and offer a scholarship to some deserving student when they could afford it.

That night on the stage, these two amazing women offered two $1,000 scholarships to two deserving students in the audience as a pay it forward gesture and asked the audience to do the same if they ever had a chance to do it. There wasn't a dry eye in the audience and in fact, I am crying now just thinking of how I felt at their gesture. My daughter was not one of the recipients of that scholarship, but I hope she took away the gift of kindness from these two special women.

Beautiful. That actually reminds me of something my parents did for me. When choosing a college, the deal was that my parents would pay half, and I would take out loans for the other half. Great deal, right? Well, when I graduated, my parents presented me with a graduation gift. An envelope. Inside was a letter and the receipts showing that all my loans had been paid off. Now that I think back to that story, I don't know if I ever properly showed my appreciation for that amazing gesture. I should probably write them a letter.

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

NICE Assignment: Write a Letter

Happy Monday! And I mean it, I'm really happy this Monday! I had the most incredible weekend. I did NOTHING. My house was super clean after a huge mid week scrubbing, so I had no chores, no obligations. It was glorious! I was able to draw, shop, nap, play video games, watch tv, read, etc. You know, all those little, relaxing things that I'm always trying to squeeze into my life. Best weekend ever! It's funny, I told Rob what a blast I had doing that stuff and he said, "None of that sounds really fun." Oh but it was. I have learned to appreciate those do-nothing moments.

Guess what. This week is National Letter Writing Week! I absolutely love non-bill-or-junk mail, so I thought this would make a great assignment for this week.

Today's Assignment: Write a Letter

When was the last time you pulled out a piece of stationery and pen and wrote a letter? I honestly can't remember. Sure, I've written a few cards here and there, but not a regular-ole letter. I'd love to get a few in the mail to celebrate this week! And to start it off, here's a letter to you guys:

So, who are you going to write a letter to?

NICE Testimonial: Kindness in Line

Like most people, I'm always so giddy when I'm the recipient of kindness. Last night I had to run to the grocery store after work even though I was just drained. I was sure that I looked like a frumpy mess with my hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail, wearing my poofy Michelin Man winter coat and glasses (that I need to get sized) sliding down my face. As I walked towards the bread, I overheard a woman say "beautiful child." So I turned to see the beautiful child when I noticed that she was looking at me! I awkwardly smiled and she said, "Just gorgeous!" right to me. It was so unexpected and sweet that I think my heart exploded. I felt like Beyonce after that! I was strutting my stuff down the cereal aisle! Best moment of 2011 so far!

Anyway, when nice things happen to me, I can't wait to tell you guys. Like, "look! Niceness works!" Duh, right? Anyway, here's another tale of kindness for you today. This one comes from Tammy. When you're caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the smallest gestures can have such an impact.

It was really a small thing, but it was valuable to me. I really wanted to stay home all day, but my daughter needed some things from the store for a program that she is directing tomorrow evening. As most of us mothers would do, I ran the errand and few more while I was out.

As I started home, my daughter called and said, “Mom, I don’t need that stuff anymore … but thanks for going to get it.” I decided to return the items before I came home because I knew if I brought them home, I would never return them. I despise making returns! By this point, I was in a bit of a hurry and because of my loathing of the returning, I was willing the “Holiday Spirit” to be with me.

I walked to the counter and the lady who was patiently waiting for her turn said to me, “Why don’t you go in front of me since you only have that one small bag to return?” I protested, of course, (because I can be nice, too), then I saw her three very large bags of returns. I glanced at her face and was so grateful in that split second that she kept insisting that I move in front of her! In the holiday season, it is especially meaningful when people are genuinely nice.

I really love how simple it is to be kind. It doesn't require money or a lot of effort. This woman just gave up a a minute or two of extra waiting time. But it was thoughtful and generous and really meant a lot to Tammy.

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

NICE Assignment: Pledge to be nicer

Happy new year, everyone! So, how is 2011 treating you so far? Did you make any resolutions? I have the absolute toughest time sticking to them. I should make quarterly resolutions so there isn't too much pressure! One thing I really want to do this year is get back into drawing. I love it, I really do, but sometimes it's tough to get home from a long day at work and pick up a pencil. Well, I'm going to make it happen this year!

I was thinking about an assignment to start off the year, and wouldn't it be the coolest if we all joined together for a collective resolution for 2011? Nothing difficult. You won't find me in a gym. But what if we tried to be just a little bit, a teeny smidge, a tiny tad....nicer.

Today's Assignment: Pledge to be nicer

This is going to be the year of NICE! I made up a little pledge. Something simple that I think we can all agree to. If you'd like to "sign" the pledge to be a little nicer in 2011, just leave a comment! I'd love to see a ton of people all making this promise.



I will hold the door for people behind me. I will say "please" and "thank you." I will smile at strangers. I will compliment people. If I'm not sure whether I should greet someone with a handshake or hug, I will opt for the hug. If I see someone having trouble, I will offer help. I will try to perform at least one Random Act of Kindness a week. I will be grateful. I will not hold grudges. I will always do my best to be humble, empathetic, and honest. I will be mindful and considerate of the people around me. I will be kind to people, animals, and nature. All in all, I promise to be nicer!

So what do you say? Will you take the pledge? If we all did, think of what a difference it would make!

Happy 2011!