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“Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ~Mark Twain
Being kind is a choice. We can choose to be kind every day. Even if you are not a “people person” you can still do kind things, such as #8. To make a difference, you just have to care.
“To make a difference in someone’s life you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care.” ~Mandy Hale
Making the effort to be kind will help you, the giver, as much as the recipient. It just feels good to do something that is nice for someone else. There are studies that back the idea that practicing kindness is beneficial to our health. Read Maile Proctor’s article “6 Science-Backed Ways Being Kind Is Good For Your Health.”
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Here is a list of 20 relatively easy ways that you can practice kindness today.
- Smile. Make eye contact and smile at people.
- Listen. Give your undivided attention and listen with your whole being to the person you are interacting with, whether they are 2 years old or 100 years old. Don’t focus on formulating your reply when someone is speaking to you.
- Offer a hug.
- Give a stranger a genuine compliment.
- Share a heartfelt compliment with a loved one.
- Be generous with your monetary tips.
- Pause before you speak, be conscious of your words.
- Pick up litter. Beautify our world.
- Donate to a disaster fund. Donate to Wildfire Relief Fund for victims of wildfires in California.
- Be kind to yourself. Be aware of your inner dialogue. Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations. E.g. I love and accept who I am. I trust my intuition. I am free to express what I am feeling.
- Leave coins. Leave a few quarters at the car wash or laundromat. Put coins in an expired parking meter.
- Stop complaining. Instead of focusing on the negative, focus on what’s going well and what is beautiful.
- Use less plastic. Be kind to Mother Earth. Opt for paper bags at the grocery store, or better yet, utilize reusable bags.
- Give a loved one a shoulder or foot massage.
- Write a handwritten thank you note to let someone know how much you appreciate them for a service or their help.
- Conserve water. This is a kindness to our planet. E.g. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. Decrease shower time.
- Love animals? Volunteer at an Animal Shelter. Take your dog for a walk.
- Donate clothes to a charity organization in your town/city.
- Give a wave of thanks to a driver that lets you into traffic.
- Tweet, share, make a comment, or like someone’s article that you have read and enjoy.
“Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.” Pema Chodron
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” ~Mother Teresa
Read stories of kindness. Share an encouraging card with someone. Gift yourself or a friend with one of these books or sets of notecards:
“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions and the roots spring up and make new trees.” ~Amelia Earhart
We can all do our part to make our world a gentler, kinder, happier place to be. What acts of kindness can you add to the list? Comment below, thanks!
Coffee cup Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash
Heart hands photo by Stokpic.com on Pexels
Kimmy
January 14, 2021 10:59 amMuch needed post in todays world.
Julie
January 14, 2021 11:07 amDefinitely agree with you!
Diana
January 14, 2021 6:49 amThis is a great list! I would add to call or text someone you haven’t talked to or seen in awhile just to say hi.
Julie
January 14, 2021 11:06 amExcellent addition Diana! I try to do text a friend/family member several times a week!
Anitra
January 13, 2021 9:19 pmThese are simple tips but so influential! It’s true when they say kindness goes a long way!
Julie
January 14, 2021 11:05 amI wholeheartedly believe it – kindness goes a long way! 🙂
Bri
January 13, 2021 8:57 pmLove the “leave coins” one! That is a GREAT idea! Especially now that hardly ANYONE carries cash/change anymore! That could really help someone out!
Julie
January 14, 2021 11:04 amI have been the recipient of coins left before and really appreciated it!
Nishtha
January 13, 2021 6:54 pmBeautiful post! Agree that kindness is so important. Love all the quotes and ways to show too. Smile often and genuinely is a simple thing that everyone can do
Julie
January 14, 2021 11:03 amEven with a mask on, a smile shines through the eyes! 🙂
Courtney
December 8, 2020 1:16 pmWhat a wonderful post !
Julie
December 12, 2020 9:52 amThank you, we can all use these little reminders 🙂
Sara
December 4, 2020 7:07 pmWhat a sweet post and a nice reminder to be kind which is especially needed during these times!
Julie
December 7, 2020 11:03 amThank you Sara! So true!
hari
December 4, 2020 5:59 pmkindness is what we all want in these challenging times.
great suggestions.
thanks for sharing this post.
Julie
December 7, 2020 11:04 amYes, we can all use a bit more kindness! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Miranda Balogh | Watercolour Art | Creative Marketing
December 4, 2020 10:44 amThank you for writing this positive post! It’s such a great reminder that a little kindness can go a long way. Thank you for sharing!
Julie
December 7, 2020 11:05 amIt doesn’t take much, we can all do our part! Thanks for reading 🙂
Maya
July 16, 2020 5:36 amSuch a positive post! I love all the genuine ideas and give us all a reminder to stay kind!
Julie
July 23, 2020 6:26 pmThank you Maya! With a little effort we can make the world a bit more kind!
Jennifer Bradley
July 15, 2020 11:13 pmI love this reminder that kindness can really be so simple! I am going to try better to smile more – hopefully people will see it through my mask! 🙂 Thanks for this great post!
Julie
July 23, 2020 6:22 pmI believe that people can see a smile in the eyes! I feel like I can tell when people are smiling even with the mask on! Smile away!! 😊
Katie
July 15, 2020 9:15 pmThe world could definitely use more kindness. Thank you for sharing this from your heart. People need to be reminded that even when there seems to be so much bad out there, there is also so much good too.
Julie
July 23, 2020 6:24 pmSo true!! I think if we ALL spread a bit of kindness the world will be a better place!
Audrey at Two Pink Peonies
July 15, 2020 12:04 pmWe could all use a little extra kindness and give a little extra kindness right now. Thank you for these!
Mae
July 15, 2020 9:08 amKindness always goes a long way! Thanks for your wonderful tips!
Julie
July 23, 2020 6:25 pmIndeed it does! We can all do our part to make the world a kinder place! 🙂
Trish Veltman
November 13, 2018 7:01 pmExcellent list. I’m glad you included be kind to yourself – so many people forget that, and it’s a good reminder that kindness is best when it flows inwards and outwards
Julie
November 13, 2018 9:10 pmHi Trish! If you are familiar with the Loving Kindness Meditation, it always starts by sending loving thoughts to ourselves first.
If our own cup is empty we will not have anything to give to others. I’m glad you enjoyed the list. Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Rhonda
November 11, 2018 6:24 pmGreat ideas. My friend and I try to come up with a calendar to do a good deed a day. We teach kindergarten and try to encourage our kids to do the same. During December we make the grinch’s heart grow with good deeds.
Julie
November 12, 2018 1:21 pmHi Rhonda! What a great idea for your kinders. It’s important to instill this value into our children at a young age. Love it! Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Carol
November 10, 2018 8:14 pmThis was good. I love that it included walking your dog! I gotta go do that now!
Julie
November 11, 2018 11:23 amI’m glad you liked the post. 🙂 I hope you and your dog had a nice walk! Thanks for visiting! 😀
Susan Franklin
November 10, 2018 4:13 pmLove the practices you mentioned in your post. Over the past year I have really tried to focus more on practicing kindness and have embraced many of the items you mentioned – especially at work. Sometimes I get so focussed on my job, I forget to acknowledge others. Giving a simple compliment can lift a persons spirit and a smile can brigthen someone’s day! These are great reminders of how easy it truly is to be kind.
Julie
November 11, 2018 11:25 amThank you Susan. We can do small kind things and let the ripple effect make our world a kinder place! 😀 Thank you for visiting!
Jane
November 10, 2018 1:48 pmLOVE everything about this! Really appreciate the sentiment behind this post! Happy Autumn! Jane
Julie
November 10, 2018 3:11 pmThank you Jane! If we all try to be kind, it justs makes the world a better place! Thank you for visiting!
Julie
Briana Logan
November 10, 2018 12:01 pmWhat a great article! Great examples on how to spread kindness 🙂
Julie
November 10, 2018 12:08 pmThanks Briana. We can all show more kindness, and our world needs it! Thanks for visiting! 😀