Monday, February 27, 2017

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain

Random Acts of Kindness
Random Acts of Kindness focus of performing random acts of kindness for others. Why? Research supports that people on the receiving end often become motivated to pay it forward and so begins the domino effects of unprompted acts of kindness. It also states that kindness feels better for the giver and can improve our moods and improve our beliefs about ourselves. Ever had someone pay for your coffee or your meal unexpected? How did it feel?

Research also demonstrates that if you perform random acts of kindness for two minutes a day for 21 days, you can actually retrain your brain to be more positive. Studies such as this show that when your brain is more positive you are more likely to be creative, intelligent and productive. These attributes can spin into what we perceive as ‘quality of life’ attributes - job success, wealth, healthy relationships, and better health. This adage, that “happiness breeds success,” think about that for a moment.

Kindness is a simple concept, yet so very impact. It can make the world a better place, you never know what other people may or may not be battling. Kindness has the power to drastically improve our own well-being as well as that of our families, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. The act of expressing graciousness to one another can improve our relationships within the workforce, kindness towards one another can inspire employees to be more productive and make businesses more profitable and within our communities, kindness contributes to safer schools and neighborhoods.

Easy ways to perform random acts of kindness:
Be generous with compliments (what they are wearing, their hair, smile or what
they are doing);
Return a shopping cart;
Help someone load or unload their groceries;
Make someone laugh;
Thank your employees/coworkers;
Give your seat to an elderly person;
Make eye contact and smile at others;
When waiting in line for a cup of coffee, offer to pay for the stranger’s coffee in
line in front of or behind you;
Put snacks, travel sized toiletries, a pair of warm socks and warm mittens in
Ziplock bags and pass them out to the homeless;
Volunteer to serve a meal at a local soup kitchen or volunteer your time at any
Organization that is meaningful to you;
Donate used books or puzzles to your local library or school;
Bring a few winter coats that your family has outgrown to a nearby shelter;
Bring a dozen donuts to a nearby fire station or police station and thank them for
their service;
When you see someone in a military uniform at the airport or in a mall, thank them
for their service and express your wish that they stay safe in their endeavor;
If you pass a parking meter that’s about to expire, put change in it;
Send someone you care about a text, e-mail, or card and let them know you are
grateful for having them in your life; who does not like a card;
Send an anonymous card saying something positive about them in the mail.

Conclusion:
Random acts of kindness do not have to be big, and can be incorporated into your everyday life. Just a few moments here or there. Try with some small acts and then try some bigger ones. Try it for the week or the month and see what happens! You never know how you will impact someone else!

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” (Aesop)

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” (Scott Adams)

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