by Donné Newbury
Have you ever had someone unexpectedly show you kindness and want nothing in return? Do you remember the way it made you feel and how it made you want to do the same for someone else? Do you remember being overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude, appreciation and wellbeing?
More than ever, many people find themselves looking for kindness in the world. We all know that kindness is incredibly powerful to both the people that give and receive it. There are a number of reasons for this:
- Kindness requires you to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and show consideration, empathy or concern for them. This can help put your own frustrations and challenges into context.
- Kindness triggers a cascade of feel-good chemicals in the brains of both the giver and receiver. Check out this video on The Science of Kindness (https://youtu.be/O9UByLyOjBM)
- It gives us a deep feeling of socially connection – of being seen and valued.
- It promotes our faith and hope in humanity and fosters a sense of spiritual wellbeing.
Like gratefulness, random acts of kindness become great habits that change our mindset and generate a strong sense of wellbeing. They don’t need to cost you anything more than a smile or second of your time and create such an impact that they quickly become addictive.
How can we be more kind to others in our family, workplace, and community? RandomActsOfKindess.org offers six concepts related to kindness:
- Respect: treating people, places, and things with kindness
- Caring: feeling and showing concern for others
- Inclusiveness: including others, inviting them in, and welcoming them with open arms
- Integrity: acting in a way you know to be right and kind in all situations
- Responsibility: being reliable to do the things that are expected or required of you
- Courage: being brave when facing new or difficult circumstances
Inspired to learn more and get ideas:
- Check out RandomActsOfKindess.org for kindness ideas that will nourish your soul.
- Subscribe to Insta feeds such as goodnews_movement and howtoimprovemyselfnow
- Start by showing kindness at home
Be careful – it’s highly addictive!!
