Being kind isn’t a hard task. So many people assume that being kind takes up so much energy, but in reality, it doesn’t. Being kind is very easy and it can actually change someone’s day. A kind stranger on the street can actually turn your day around.

For those of you who are looking to make someone’s day brighter, here are five simple things you can do this week.

Pay for someone’s coffee.

My best friend is actually the one who influenced me to do this. She used to work at Starbucks and she would always offer one free drink to at least one customer a day. After constantly getting my coffee for free, because of my best friend’s discount, I slowly started paying for other people’s coffee. In the beginning, I would do this monthly, but now I try to do it every other week, or sometimes even once a week. You’d be surprised to know how much money people spend on coffee every week, so paying for someone’s coffee will definitely make their day. Every time the car in front of me pays for my coffee, I feel so shocked and happy, and as a result, I find myself paying for the the person behind me. It’s literally a chain reaction.

Compliment someone.

This costs no money at all, and it’s simple yet effective. Complimenting a stranger can totally change their entire mood. I work at a community college, so I’m surrounded by college students every day. I recently saw a girl stressing out about having to take an exam to get accepted into the nursing program, so I went up to her and said, “good luck, I bet you’ll do amazing," and she looked up at me and smiled. I’m not sure if she did well on her exam, but I do know that I got her to stop stressing and fidgeting, and I helped keep her relaxed. Go compliment a stranger! You could make their day — you never know!

Write little cards for your coworkers.

These little cards can be as simple as, “good morning, I hope you have a great day!" My supervisor used to put little cards on my desk whenever I was stressed out, and it honestly helped me feel a lot better. You don’t have to leave a card for every single one of your coworkers. If you know that a certain coworker is stressed about something, leave them a little card to let them know that you care. It will brighten up their day.

Hold the door for someone.

Many of you might be thinking, “I already do this!" However, you’d be surprised to know how many people don’t open the door for others. I used to think that college students would always open the door for me, as I knew it was common courtesy. However, most people only hold the door for themselves and keep on walking. Try opening the door for someone, and if someone opens the door for you, say “thank you."

Buy lunch for someone.

It doesn’t have to be expensive. You can be at the McDonald’s drive-through and pay for the person in the car behind you. You can pick up lunch for your coworker or drop off some food for your best friend. You can do this for a homeless person as well. Whoever you purchase lunch for, they’ll be extremely grateful.

These are all different ways that you can show kindness to someone. Being kind takes up zero energy, and it often costs zero dollars. If we all continue to be kind to one another, or if we all show random acts of kindness, maybe people will stop assuming that humanity is dead.