The primary focus of my blog thetieguy is to promote good style, good grooming and good health. This week, I’ve partnered with UnitedHealthcare to promote #DoGoodWeek. Do Good. Live Well. is the social responsibility arm of UnitedHealthcare that focuses on the fact that giving back isn’t only good for your community, but also for your personal health. Do good week is from November 13th to November 19th and is all about promoting good things for both yourself and your community. The goal is to change the social conversation from negative news to positive stories.

Every day, we have the opportunity to do something nice for someone. Kindness and helping others causes our brain to release endorphins and serotonins, the chemicals that make us happy and gives us that feeling of satisfaction and well-being. Scientists have proven that volunteer work makes us overall happier, healthier, boosts our self-confidence, gives us a sense of purpose and makes us feel less stressed. So, the more we do nice things, the better it is for our brains and our bodies.

I currently live on the Upper East Side of NYC and as corny as it might sound, I make it a habit to smile to my neighbors and make “small talk” in my local stores. It’s important for me to feel connected to my community and this is what I can do on a daily basis. So many people rush around, too busy to even make eye contact, that these small personal connections seem all the more important to me. I often commute around Manhattan for photo shoots, events and other menswear activities and at rush hour, the subway can get very tricky. Recently, I was sitting on the train heading home and the subway became increasingly more crowded with each stop. Eventually, I gave up my seat to an elderly woman standing next to me. She smiled and said thank you and I stood for the remainder of my trip home. To give up your seat to someone elderly might sound rather cliché but I very rarely see that type of respect on the subway. It was such a simple thing to do, but it, surprisingly, made me feel really good! Others around me watched, but no one said anything to me. I can only hope that my small “act of good” inspired them to do something nice for someone else, continuing that sense of well being. Being nice is not only easy, but it’s really empowering! With “doing good” for others also comes for “doing good” for yourself. Our society is craving kindness. Too much of the news is bad news, fake news and negative news that pits us against each other. We’re more alike than different and we have to take care of each other. #DoGoodWeek is a start. Do Good. Live Well. is the goal

What have you personally done to contribute to #DoGoodWeek? Challenge yourself to an act of kindness and share your story on social media. Tag@DoGoodLiveWell and join the movement!

This post is sponsored by United Healthcare. All opinions expressed are my own.

United Health Care "Do Good"