Inconvenience Yourself Day
Extending a hand when needed, embodying kindness, and making a positive impact on someone's life can ignite a chain of compassion that reverberates through humanity.
Do you know those days when you just can’t be bothered to get out of bed, brush your teeth or go anywhere at all? Well, Inconvenience Yourself Day is not one of those types of days. So, put on that happy face, then go out there and be nice, just for the sake of making a delightful difference in the world!
History of Inconvenience Yourself Day
The concept of Inconvenience Yourself Day seems to have originated from Ms. Julie Thompson and it was meant to serve as an incentive for others to acknowledge their appreciation for acquaintances or strangers and to promote a respectful attitude and an attentive demeanor.
Julie Thompson, an environmental consultant living in Florida, founded the day in 2006 when she realized she was spending far too much time not really paying attention to the world around her. The idea isn’t as much as causing inconvenience for self, but about the willingness a person has to go a little out of their way to make someone else’s day just a little brighter and the world a little bit happier.
The type of activity that is done on Inconvenience Yourself Day can be something as simple as pulling the neighbor’s garbage cans back from the curb, which takes an extra three minutes or so but also puts a meaningful smile on someone else’s face. Celebrated in the same vein of National Random Acts of Kindness Day in February, World Kindness Day in November, and National Do Something Nice Day in October, this day offers a delightful excuse to just be a person who makes things just a little nicer for someone.
How to Celebrate Inconvenience Yourself Day
Those who are interested in paying it forward and shining some light on a person’s day have come to the right place! Inconvenience Yourself Day offers a wide range of fun ideas for celebrating, including some of these:
Inconvenience Yourself for Someone
Just about anyone can celebrate Inconvenience Yourself Day by simply opening a door for an old lady, giving up a seat to a pregnant lady, helping a child cross the street, stopping to ask if a tourist is lost and needs directions, offering to carry a suitcase up the stairs and just generally making a small sacrifice.
Compliment a random stranger on their smile, make eye contact with people, recognize their humanity and offer all people the dignity that they so deserve.
But most of all, we should spend some time reflecting on what others need and how it is possible to help. It can make a big difference!
Make Some Positive Changes
While Inconvenience Yourself Day can certainly be about simply helping a neighbor or family member with the little things in life, it might also be about having a larger goal in mind.
For instance, many people don’t recycle their consumer packaging or compost their food waste, simply because it is inconvenient. Inconvenience Yourself Day is the ideal time to get motivated to start one of these habits. Purchase some bins for recycling or sign up for the city to pick it up each week. Or start making purchases that reduce the impact, such as buying tubeless toilet paper or always using reusable bags at the grocery store.
Another way to make a habit of going out of your way on Inconvenience Yourself Day might be to commit to regularly volunteering at a local senior citizens’ residence, youth organization, homeless shelter or animal rescue center. Sure, it’s nice to always go home, kick those feet up and do whatever you want, but perhaps it’s time to make a little effort and impact the world and the local community in a better, larger way. After all, it’s only a small inconvenience and the payoff is enormous!
