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SunMar 3

National I Want You to be Happy Day – March 3, 2024

It’s National I Want You to be Happy Day, on March 3, giving each of us the opportunity to brighten someone’s day through simple acts of kindness and selflessness. Don’t you love being around people who spread cheer everywhere they go? Today, YOU could be that person! It’s so easy to do and, well, we want you to be happy, too. Read on for simple ideas that will help you help others to have a happy day!

History of National I Want You to be Happy Day

We haven’t found the person to thank for starting National I Want You to be Happy Day but he or she sure has made a ton of people happy!

Perhaps you’ve heard the Chinese Proverb: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.”

Numerous studies have shown one key factor to finding and maintaining our own happiness is to do something to make others happy. In fact, one study revealed physiological effects when subjects donated to a charity. It’s known as the “helper’s high” with the brain releasing feelings of happiness and reward, prompting people to do even more kind acts.

Monk and bestselling author, Om Swami, wrote “The Book of Kindness: How to Make Others Happy and Be Happy Yourself” in 2019. He details many stories of acts of kindness and helps you to understand, practice, and master kindness.

Genuine efforts to make others happy result in our own feelings of empowerment; feelings that we can take on the world.

So, take advantage of today and this opportunity to show others you want them to be happy by understanding what makes them personally happy and thoughtfully following through. It usually doesn’t take much effort; simple acts of kindness go a long way to making others happy. And you will find your own reward in return!

National I Want You to be Happy Day timeline

1970
‘Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)’

Diana Ross’s solo single that encourages us to “make this world a better place” debuts.

1993
Random Acts of Kindness

“Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty” by Anne Herbert and M. Paloma Pavel is published, countering a common phrase of the time: “Random acts of violence and senseless acts of cruelty”.

2000
“Pay It Forward”

The movie, based on the book with the same name, hits theaters, launching a goodwill movement to pay it forward through random acts of kindness.

2004
Free Hug Movement

Juan Mann starts the Free Hugs Campaign after receiving a hug from a stranger, lifting him out of depression.

2015
Kindness Rocks Project

Megan Murphy starts the Kindness Rocks Project in Cape Cod when she paints “You got this” on a rock and leaves it on a beach for someone else to find.

National I Want You to be Happy Day FAQs

What’s the difference between joy and happiness?

Happiness associated with pleasure is momentary, sparked by an external factor that brings us temporary positive feelings. Happiness associated with joy, on the other hand, is a deep-seated, long-lasting feeling of happiness and contentment.

 

Doesn’t happiness come from within?

Ultimately, we are responsible for our own happiness. We can’t rely on others for true, long-lasting happiness but a good way to get started on our own feelings of happiness is to focus outwardly on helping others and spreading happiness to those around us.

 

Am I a people pleaser?

There’s a big difference between making someone happy through a kind act and being a people pleaser. You can’t be all things to all people and if you find yourself saying “yes” to people, apologizing often, feeling responsible for others’ feelings, and worrying that people are angry at you, you may be a people pleaser.

National I Want You to be Happy Day Activities

  1. Sow seeds of happiness

    Make someone’s day by planting Seeds of Happiness. These small smile-starters began as leftover lumps of clay. With a little carving, painting, and glazing, they become seeds of happiness you can plant wherever you go.

  2. Give someone kudos at work

    Take a few minutes today to recognize someone at work who is doing a great job. This could be someone who has helped you on a project, gone above and beyond for a customer, or has consistently taken initiative to make things happen. Not only will your recognition make someone’s day, but it will shine a light on their performance to their manager and other higher-ups!

  3. Fill a need

    Look around your neighborhood to see who could use a hand. Is it the widow next door who needs help with her lawn or a new mom who could use a babysitter or a ready-made meal? Today would be a great day to let a neighbor know you want them to be happy. Your simple gesture could be a lifesaver for them!

5 Simple Ways To Make Someone’s Day

  1. Reach out

    There are so many ways to brighten someone’s day with a quick hello — a phone call, a handwritten letter, a text, an email — it only takes a few minutes.

  2. Give Thanks

    Let someone know you want them to be happy because they made you happy. Think of someone who helped you in a small way and let them know how much you appreciate it.

  3. Send a small gift

    ​Thoughtfulness goes a long way in making someone happy. Mail or drop off a small surprise such as a book, magazine, cookies, or flowers.

  4. Encourage

    Encourage people you know who live a life of service such as your local police- or fire departments, your pastor, or mail carrier. These people devote themselves every day so use today to make them happy.

  5. Let someone else go first

    ​Putting others first is a key focus in today’s holiday — hold the door for someone, allow someone to go first in line at the grocery store, or let someone go in front of you as you leave a crowded parking lot.

Why We Love National I Want You to be Happy Day

  1. We enjoy making other people happy

    Making other people happy makes us happy. We enjoy it even if we don’t know the person we’re making happy! Being kind to strangers invokes the same feelings of happiness as doing kind acts for those we know and love.

  2. We want stronger relationships

    We all want the absolute best for our family and friends so when it comes to showing them or telling them we want them to be happy, of course, we’re all in! Spreading happiness strengthens the bonds of friendship so we love today’s holiday for its simple contribution to stronger relationships.

  3. It is better to give than to receive

    Some people enjoy picking out the perfect gift they know someone will love. Demonstrating how well you know someone and care for them through a gift or even through another gesture of kindness gives us a sense of satisfaction and pleasure that is more intense than being the recipient of a gift ourselves.

National I Want You to be Happy Day dates

YearDateDay
2024March 3Sunday
2025March 3Monday
2026March 3Tuesday
2027March 3Wednesday
2028March 3Friday

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