They say the world runs on favours and it is guaranteed that people who will go out of their way to help others in their life tend to be more popular. Whether you want to do more things to help people just because you enjoy being useful, or because you hope that by helping people out your friends will also be able to do you favours when you need them, it can be good to look for ways you can lend a hand that actually make a difference to people, but which they may not think to ask you for. Here are some things you can easily volunteer to do for people that can make you a really reliable, helpful friend to have!
Giving People Lifts To Important Things
If you have a car, one of the simplest ways you can be helpful is to offer lifts to your friends, especially those who don’t have their own cars. People who generally walk or use public transport can find things like big supermarket shops a bit of a chore, as they have to physically carry everything. Be a true friend and suggest that when you go to do your own shopping, your friend can come too and make use of your car space with you.
Another time when someone might be very grateful for a lift is if they have to travel somewhere. Even people who have their own cars may not want to invest in long-term airport parking when they go on holiday or away on business, so they generally end up using public transport or taxis, which is far less convenient (and more expensive). If you take them to the airport or pick them up, they also have someone to greet them when they land or to hang out with at the airport before they fly, so they will certainly enjoy things a lot more if they are offered this option.
You can usually get good short stay parking deals for dropping people off or picking them up at airports, and you can check this out in advance using sites like birminghamparking.com, which can also tell you more about the meet and greet parking Birmingham airport offers, in case you wish to have someone else park your car whilst you help your friend with their bags and wave them off at the security gates. Your friend will probably be happy to pay your parking costs and some money towards fuel, as this will still be far cheaper than any other means of getting to the airport.
Looking After Their House, Pets, or Plants
Another thing you can do when someone goes away is to offer to take care of their house for them – either as a full house-sitting arrangement or just stopping by while they are away to check everything is OK and do anything that needs doing, such as watering their plants or checking nothing important has come in the mail. If they have pets, you could also offer to take care of them, which can save them a lot of money compared to putting them in a kennel or cattery or hiring a pet sitter. With cats and smaller pets, you would only need to stop by to feed them, clean up after them, and give them some attention, though with dogs you may need to offer to stay at your friend’s house with their pets or host their dog at your own house. If you don’t mind doing this, or actually like the idea of borrowing a pet for a while, this can be a great favour to do that can really give your friend one less thing to worry about!
Help Promote Something They Are Doing
Somewhere in your circle of friends you most likely have at least one person who is doing some kind of venture that needs promoting, such as running a business or making art or music, writing a blog, raising money for charity, or even just trying to get more followers on their Twitter account! If you like what they are doing, it can be really helpful to them if you can give them a hand getting the word out about what they are doing, and all it may take is being willing to share their stuff on social media and being sure to tell people you know who they don’t know about it where relevant. Most people think that when they start doing something, all their followers on social media will help them spread the word, but in actual fact, that isn’t usually what happens. By being one of the friends who does support people in this way, you can certainly look helpful, and it is very simple to do!
Do Little Things To Help Them In Stressful Times
If you know a friend is really busy right now and a bit stressed out, for instance, they are going through their final exams before graduating, are working a lot of hours on a big project, or are going through a tough time in their lives like a break up or a bereavement, then doing small things for them so they don’t have to do them themselves can be a great way to show you care without eating into their time. You can try bringing around a meal for them one evening to save them having to cook.
Or, you could offer to do some chores around the house. You could babysit their kids to give them some peace or offer to walk their dog in the evening to take that off of their to-do list. When people are very busy or going through difficult times, they can find it hard to fit in all of the normal routine things they need to do, and so helping in these practical ways tends to win you more gratitude than simply saying you are there for them and leaving it at that!
Sharing Your Skills
If you have some good skills with something, offering to do small things that utilise them for your friends can be a great way to help them out. As an example, if you work in HR or are a great writer, you could offer to proofread their CV if they are applying for jobs. It won’t take you long, but you may be able to help them really improve their chances of getting their dream job.
If you’re great at photography, you could help them take the pictures for their online dating profile. If you are really good at DIY, you can offer to help them with their home decoration projects for costs or for less than a professional. If you have a knack for finance, you could help them make a personal budget. Most people have some talents or personal or professional skills that can be really useful for other people, and you would be surprised how often something that doesn’t take long and is very easy for you to do can really solve a problem for a friend!
Helping people out in these small, practical ways can be extremely rewarding, and will certainly make you feel like a good friend and a dependable person. Additionally, it may well inspire your friends to help you and other people out in their own ways too!
By Nina Mosely