Kindness is about generosity, consideration and empathy. In my last blog I wrote about empathy and compassion and it is how we can demonstrate these qualities in acts. A lot has been said and written lately about doing random acts of kindness and I totally agree that it feels not only good to the receiver but also to the giver. In fact kindness ripples out and if you have been on the receiver end of a kindness then you are more likely to go on and engage in your own kind acts.
The givers of kind acts feel a greater sense of satisfaction and happiness which in turn boost good mental health and wellbeing. There is now a Random Act of Kindness day on 17 February 2019.
The acts can range from small and unassuming to grand gestures without the need for recognition or praise. So anything goes that is spontaneous, unprepared and done to help someone else. It can be giving someone the rest of your time on a parking ticket, leaving a book for someone else to read, let another person go ahead of you in a queue, hold a door open or pay someone a compliment. It stops us being self-centered and inwardly focused and allows us to be more aware of the other person.
We are more likely to do a kind act if we have experienced it or have recently talked about it so it is in our subconcious. A friend mentioned that she had given someone a lift as he had missed his bus and the next day I was approached by someone asking for bus fayre as his car had broken down. Normally, as it was the evening, I wouldn’t have done so but it was in my subconscious what my friend had done. So I gave the person some money only to find out later it was a scam! So I must admit that maybe it wasn’t the wisest thing to do especially as it was the other person approaching me.
You are in control of the kind act, so you are choosing what to do of your own free will, even if it is spontaneous. Keep an open mind, be aware of others needs and do something because it will benefit someone else and hopefully in turn they too will pass on a kind act.