Happy Little Moment: Spreading Kindness Around the World
Introducing Anne Sophie, a beacon of kindness and creativity whose journey embodies the transformative power of small acts of love. Eight years ago, inspired by a simple idea during her travels in Bali, she embarked on a mission to spread joy through handwritten cards bearing the message "for the finder." What began as a personal endeavour blossomed into the Happy Little Movement, touching hearts across continents. Anne Sophie's story is one of courage, resilience and the profound impact of human connection. Join us as we delve into her inspiring tale of spreading love, one card at a time.
What inspired you to embark on your global mission of spreading kindness, and how has your journey unfolded thus far?
Eight years ago, I had an idea. I've always loved creating personal cards and surprising people with them. But what if I wrote 'for the finder' on an envelope? This way, I could reach many more people than I know. The idea came to me when I was in Bali. As a creative, I've been inspired by many ideas, but this one felt different. Somehow, I knew in the moment I got the idea that this could become my life's work. I started immediately and bought the most beautiful handmade paper to create the first 'Happy Little Moments'. I left them in public spaces and surprised more than a hundred people in Bali. Once I was back in the Netherlands and caught up in daily life, I received a message from a girl in Brazil who wanted to let me know that she found a card months ago and kept it with her since then because it made her happy. This was the little push I needed to keep going.
This is my life's mission, and I believe it will be my mission forever. As I grow, my mission grows with me, and more ways of expression come naturally, like poetry, chalk, wall paintings, etc.
After two years of surprising strangers, my work was noticed by the company I worked for. They wanted to collaborate, and out of the blue, there was an opportunity to make money with what I already loved doing the most. I quit my job, found more opportunities, and from that moment on, I could make a living with the art that comes from my heart. I truly loved what I was doing, but there was something bigger calling me: spending all my time and energy on surprising strangers unconditionally and creating a bigger movement.
It felt uncomfortable to give up something I loved to take a risk for what I loved even more. But I decided to quit my paid work to go to the place where the project was born. I filled my suitcases with thousands of cards and was ready to change the world, one card at a time.
I was not expecting or planning to go to Australia, but this is what happened: One day, I sat by myself in a restaurant and saw another girl, also sitting alone. I walked up to her, gave her a card, and walked away. A moment later, she stood next to me with tears in her eyes and gave me a big hug. The next day we went out for dinner, and she invited me to stay at her home in Melbourne to create the movement in Australia too. I said 'Yes,' and from that moment on, my journey in Australia unfolded. She and her partner became good friends and helped me a lot with my mission in many ways.
It is my biggest dream to create a worldwide movement of love and kindness. I hope to achieve this by spreading cards, poems, chalk drawings, and by becoming a speaker and writer about the power of kindness.
Could you share some insights into the impact of random acts of kindness, both on the recipients and the broader community?
We all have hard days. We all want to love and accept ourselves more. We are so similar, and we all want connection. But somehow, it seems that we have forgotten to reach out and actually create that connection. It takes a very small action to connect with a stranger. It can be a smile, some words, or a little help, but it can change the world. I was surprised by how open and welcoming people reacted, how often people cried, and how many hugs I received because they received a card just at the right moment.
To me, it means that the world is ready to change, and we are ready to change. I have to admit that giving was not always easy. In the bigger cities, I have been rejected often, and there were even people who reacted defensively and hatefully. In the beginning, this upset me, but I got used to rejection until the point that it didn't really hurt anymore. In these places, love is needed even more, but not everyone is ready to receive it, and I have to accept that. The people who did receive the cards were often deeply touched, and this was a huge motivation to go on.
I have received many reactions from people who received a card and from people who saw the chalk drawings. People who had a bad day felt much better after finding a message during their morning walk.
Some people said that they wanted to do this too but that they didn't know how or that they didn't have the courage. I hope to create a community with these people and everyone else who wants to join and spread love and kindness in their neighborhoods. I imagine a whole group of adults (and children too!) who are chalking loving messages and hearts on the ground. Imagine what a beautiful moment that would be and how much hope it could give to people who will find the messages later. And besides that, it's a lot of fun to chalk. We are never too old to play and always too young to stop playing.
How do you plan to engage the Byron Bay community in your Happy Little Movement, particularly through activities such as chalking and inspirational talks?
I will make chalk drawings and poems and give many cards to strangers. I hope to create a community or a group of chalking adults to make the whole place more colorful. I wrote an inspirational talk about the power of kindness, and I would love to give it in different places. Maybe we can find a way to give out the cards to everyone who wants to spread them as well. I also wrote a little song called 'Your Love Can Change the World,' and it would be amazing to sing it with others.
What are your goals and aspirations for the movement in Byron Bay, and how can individuals get involved?
I have not been in Byron Bay yet, but I look forward to finding platforms and communities to collaborate with. I also want to create a group for chalking adults or for random acts of kindness. If you want to join, please send an email to hello@happylittlemoment.com with your name and phone number. We can come together at different moments to chalk or spread kindness in other ways.
Lastly, what have been the challenges and rewards of promoting kindness on such a large scale, and what lessons can other communities learn from your experiences?
In the big cities, giving and spreading kindness has been challenging at times. People often said no or ignored me, probably because they thought I wanted to sell them something. One day, there was a girl who was very offensive and called me and my friends 'a cult'. Another time a man shouted and swore at me because I was chalking. He said that I should run and that he would call the police to get me. This happened recently, and I noticed that I was less upset and that I didn't take it personally anymore. I decided to go to the police station and explain what I was doing and what happened, and I wanted to know for sure that it was legal what I was doing. The police officers loved my work and encouraged me to go on. Later, when I was making a poem on the street, two other police officers stopped and said that I was not allowed to write in public spaces. I asked them if I could read them my poem. They smiled, and one of them said: "I understand what you are trying to do. Keep on doing it."
Being rejected was painful in the beginning, but it made me stronger until the point that rejection didn't really hurt anymore. I feel so much stronger and so much more fearless when I give cards to strangers, although there are still moments when I feel shy or have to find the courage.
The rewards are much bigger than the challenges. I have received more hugs than ever before. So many people were touched and moved by the cards. Many people cried, and some of them shared their personal stories. Often a hug was enough.
Giving cards created so much connection, and I never felt alone. Some cards were extra special for me personally because they were the start of a friendship. They were in my suitcase all that time, and I had no idea how they were about to change my life too. I gave a card to a 13-year-old boy with 'you are not alone' when I saw that he felt unhappy. We became friends and have spent many days together, surprising strangers and having deep conversations. Later, I met his mom too, and they invited me to their home in Sydney. I found the card I gave him, next to his bed.
We've spent a week together, I became friends with his mom too, and we had a beautiful time together, and now friendships that will last. This is just one example of the friendships that started unexpectedly after giving a card.
One day, there was a tropical rainstorm on Bali. I had to be somewhere, so I walked through the street that had suddenly become a little river, and in the stream, I saw one of my cards. A few minutes later, I received a message from another Dutch girl on Linkedin who I didn't know. She sent me a picture of the card I just saw in the water stream; it was exactly the same card, and she passed it just a moment later.
This was such a coincidence that I wanted to meet her. We discovered that we had much in common, and she introduced me to her mom, who she was traveling with. We all became friends and spent a lot of time together. Her mom gave me a family constellation as a gift, which helped me very much, but the friendship is the biggest gift, and it all started with a floating card.
Friendships, connection, love, appreciation, encouragement, hugs, support from strangers, gifts, cards, money, strangers who brought me drinks when I was chalking, and who invited me for dinner, and so, so much more.
The happiness and fulfillment that giving gives might be one of the biggest gifts.
The lesson we can learn from this is: Be vulnerable, give, smile to a stranger; it's worth taking the risk. We can all make a huge impact with our smallest actions. You are not too small to make a difference. Your love can change the world.