Did you know that kindness has its own worldwide day of celebration? Why is that? Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate. Sounds like that should be commonplace and happening all the time, but sadly we all know that isn’t the case.
Numerous studies have shown that either participating in acts of kindness or even just observing them, can boost our own happiness and positively affect life satisfaction. Who doesn’t want in on that?!
Here are some thoughts on kindness – how to give and receive it:
Kindness works best when you give it to yourself first. When we are feeling stressed and anxious, we don’t always respond as nicely to others as we could otherwise.
Give yourself a break, take a deep breath and focus on someone else who is most likely having a worse day than you.
Which takes me to the next thought. When someone is not being kind to you, that is exactly the moment to go out of your way and extend kindness to them. You never know what someone else is dealing with behind the scenes and how that can be affecting their outward interactions.
Your smile of understanding or compassionate act could make all the difference in turning their day around. And at the very least, while you can’t control how others act, you can make a stand and affirm the control that you DO have . . . and THAT is choosing kindness above all else.
Who among us can still think back on how a kind word from a stranger impacted our own fear or insecurity in the moment? Wouldn’t you rather be remembered as a person who shows friendliness over anger, generosity over annoyance, consideration over apathy?
The famous Greek storyteller, Aesop, once said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” You have this beautiful opportunity each and every day to do at least one act of kindness for another.
My bet is that the more you practice it, the more it will become a natural default mode for you, and the more opportunities you will see put before you daily. When you “Live a life with meaning” it starts . . . and ends with kindness.
So how will you impact someone’s life today?
November 13, 2020 Meaningful Moment
Tracey McLarney