“I wake up every day and I want to make other people happy. That is my passion.”
Niall Donnan is a young man on a mission. And that’s a big-hearted mission of kindness.
Last month, when he turned 24, Co Down man Niall decided it was time for a change. He started a 18,627 day journey to make the world a better place by making the people in it kinder humans. That is exactly 51 years of random acts of kindness every single day until he turns 75.
So over the past month, Niall, who hails from Newcastle, has done everything from taking in the neighbour’s bins to delivering apple pies to residents affected by recent flooding in the town, offering free hot soup to strangers and hugs to people with depression and anxiety.
READ MORE: ‘Why I’m continuing a remarkable family marathon tradition for a cause close to our hearts’READ MORE: ‘We lost our son suddenly in the prime of his life and don’t want this devastation to happen to anyone else’
He told Belfast Live: “I started this on my 24th birthday on September 25 because I wanted other people to experience what I felt on that day when I received random acts of kindness on my birthday. I got the drug and now I’m addicted to kindness and I think kindness deserves to be spread. Every day I wake up and think ‘OK, what can I do today?’
“Honestly, day one was just a random spontaneous idea. I didn’t plan any of it. I’ve been doing some random acts of kindness sporadically and I just loved how they made me feel and how they made other people feel. I just thought, ‘you know what, why not do this every day?’ If 6-7 billion people on the planet did one random act of kindness every day, imagine how amazing the world would be?
“Anytime you turn on the news, what do you see? You see murder, violence, war, genocide and we are here on this planet. My mission is to spread kindness, not all of the bad things you see on TV. I’m here to remind you that good humans exist – that the world is good, people are good and most importantly, life is good.
“My appeal to people is to please spread kindness to somebody else. It doesn’t need to cost you a lot of money. It could be as simple as making your brother a cup of tea, buying someone a bunch of flowers, just giving a compliment out to a stranger. That’s all I ask so please spread kindness to someone.”
Niall also revealed another motivation behind his kindness: “I went through a time where I was very introverted and thought the world was a dark place. It got to the point where I would see my friend in the street and purposely cross the road to avoid them because I didn’t have the social energy to even talk to anybody.
“I was just so in my shell for so long, not doing what I wanted to do. I was overweight, unhealthy, sick, anxious and probably in a spell of depression too. Then I started rebuilding my life and things kept getting better. That inspired me to want other people to step out of their comfort zones and be who they are.”
Niall documents each act of kindness on social media, where his TikTok account, @thatkindnessguyy, has attracted over 5,000 followers. He has also set up a GoFundMe page with a £3,500 target to help him continue the 51 year mission.
He says 100% of all donations will be used for random acts of kindness: “For the rest of time, not a penny will ever go to myself. I leave myself broke and in debt every month just to fund other people because it makes me happy.
“Your funds will help me to help others – whether that’s £5 for a coffee or a bunch of flowers, this will make someone’s day, remind them that good people exist and maybe even save their lives.
“People call me stupid. People call me crazy. I honestly don’t care how much money it’s going to cost me over my lifespan – I do it because it makes me happy. I wake up every day and I want to make other people happy. That is my passion.”
He also credits his younger brother, Joshua Foster, who is his biggest supporter: “He recently moved in with me and we go to the gym together every day. He’s also my cameraman, because he’s always there for every single thing I do. So cameraman, best friend, and brother and this would not be possible without him at all. We’re a similar age too so we’re very like minded.”
You can be part of that mission too and support Niall’s random act of kindness movement here.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our Be lifestyle newsletter for all the latest showbiz, fashion, beauty, family features and more.
#year #mission #spread #kindness #stranger #single #day
