“People will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou.
I received an e mail last week from a charity and in the subject line it said “The world could do with a little more kindness.” It aligns with my thinking as I have had the same view for some time.
There appears to be a great deal of conflict in the world and much negativity reported by the media. Perhaps we can all learn from the Dalai Lama who, when asked about his philosophy to life said “Be kind.”
Research suggests that there are many benefits to us being kind. It makes us healthier, happier and can improve our results. It gives us a greater sense of wellbeing, makes us more emotionally resilient and reduces our stress levels.
People have many different motivations for performing acts of kindness. These can range from the desire to give something back, to helping themselves to feel more purposeful. It can be as simple as wanting to feel good.
A piece of research from British Columbia University suggested that people who were given $50 to spend, got more pleasure from spending it on others than spending it on themselves.
Acts of kindness can take many forms and range from planned activity such as volunteering our time to a worthy cause to more spontaneous acts. It doesn’t have to involve money. There are many simple ways we can all perform small acts of kindness.
For example, we can give a compliment, smile at a stranger, perform some chores for an elderly person, visit someone who lives alone, buy a cup of coffee for a homeless person or donate unwanted items to charity.
We could make a loved one a cup of tea or coffee and do the same for a colleague who is under pressure. We can let someone go in front of us in a queue, give an unexpected gift or some form of recognition or appreciation.
We can be there for someone who is going through a challenging time and actively listen to what they are saying without judgement. This simple act of caring can help someone feel valued and better.
Each act of kindness may seem tiny but it actually brings about change and shifts the way we see ourselves and others. This in turn changes the way that others see us. Kind actions affect people’s lives in a positive way. They may inspire and encourage others to perform some kind acts too.
Kindness can also have the effect of helping us to feel more grateful for what we have in life and optimistic about the future.
Here is an old story about kindness:
The Wise Woman’s Stone
One day a wise woman was travelling in the mountains, where she found a precious stone in a stream. The next day, she met another traveller who was hungry and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food with him.
The hungry traveller saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so immediately and without hesitation, even though she knew how valuable it was. The traveller left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. However, a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I want to give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious.”
“What is that?” the wise woman asked.
“Please can you give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone?”
A client shared a fantastic idea with me recently. They decided to spread a little more kindness in the world and set a resolution to be consciously kinder.
This involved them performing at least one act of kindness daily for a month initially. They said that it felt really good to surprise people and to spread a little joy. They created a positive ripple as they inspired other family and friends to do the same thing.
This week why not pause for a few moments of reflection and ask yourself:
What can I do to bring more kindness to the world?
To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk