“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop
Jenny’s day couldn’t get much worse. She’d been up with insomnia most of the night, she was late for work, and she forgot to grab her lunch. All she wanted was a hot coffee from the drive-thru, but a car cut her off in line. Without thinking, she leaned on her horn. When she got to the window, the cashier told her that her meal had already been paid for by the driver in front of her. Stunned, and a little ashamed, she couldn’t believe how much that small kindness—especially from someone she’d been rude to—changed her attitude. When she got home, she noticed her elderly neighbor’s trash bin had tipped over. She cleaned it up and wheeled it to the curb, feeling pretty positive about her day.
According to positivepsychology.com, a random act of kindness is “giving your best self to others without requests or promise of return on investment. It’s simply doing something nice for someone else, without them asking and without you doing it for anything in return.”
Why Kindness?
Unlike happiness or excitement, kindness can be learned. And here’s the best part, not only does it help the other person, but studies show it helps us as well.
When we’re kind, we step into the best version of ourselves. And more often than not, we find we like living there. Kindness produces serotonin, the feel-good hormone, which has a positive impact on our wellbeing. Research shows that people who make kindness a habit—through things like random acts, generous donations, and volunteering—are happier, have lower rates of depression, have fewer aches and pains, and have better overall health.
Kindness is also contagious. It has a ripple effect as each act often spurs on another. We may never know the far-reaching effects of even one brief, positive action.
How to Practice Random Acts of Kindness
While kindness may be easier for some of us—there may be a sort of “kindness gene” that affects temperament—anyone can learn to be kind. Simply think of what you can do to make someone else’s day a little brighter.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
● Reach out to someone you haven’t heard from in a while, and tell them how much they mean to you and that you care about them.
● Send a thank you note or email to a colleague or acquaintance.
● Help maintain an elderly or disabled neighbor’s yard.
● Tell the restaurant manager something positive about your server, or tip just a little more.
● Leave a good review for a business.
● Praise someone publicly for a job well done.
● Hold the door for someone.
● Let someone else have the good parking space.
● Pay for someone else’s order in the drive-thru.
● Compliment someone’s outfit, hair, or makeup.
● Send flowers to a local hospital to be given to someone who needs a boost.
Kindness is a power source that’s available within each of us. It makes others’ lives better. It makes our own lives better. And its effects are beyond measure. So why not give it a try today?
