“People will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou.

There seems to be so much division, conflict and negativity in the world at the moment. We have the war in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis, the continued prevalence of Covid and political upheaval and uncertainty here in the UK. It appears to me that the world could do with a little more kindness. Perhaps we can all learn from the Dalai Lama who, when asked about his philosophy to life said “Be kind.”

Given the above, on a recent holiday to Cornwall I was pleased to hear about the kindness of people who rallied to help a lady who had suffered significant personal misfortune. The lady in question who worked as a school teaching assistant lived in Cornwall. The local radio station reported that her house had suffered significant fire damage when her tumble dryer caught fire.

The house was unhabitable because amongst other issues all the electrical wiring needed replacing and many personal effects had been destroyed. Unfortunately, the lady didn’t have house insurance because she had been forced to cancel the policy a few weeks ago because she was short of money due to the cost-of-living crisis. Understandably when she was interviewed, she was very upset and worried about the future.

What happened next was very heart warming and reminded me that many people in this world are decent and inherently kind. The lady was flooded with offers to help. A lady who runs a cleaning company phoned to say that her company would clean the house from top to bottom and rid it of smoke damage for free. Additionally, there were many other offers of help including an electrician offering to rewire the house for free, a kitchen installer promised to install a new kitchen without charge and the lady was also offered free accommodation.

In a world where we are fed so many negative and gloomy stories by the media, it was so nice to hear how people responded to a fellow human being’s mis-fortune. The kindness and generosity of people was quite touching.

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 every day.

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.

This week, why not take a few moments to reflect and consider what you can do personally to bring a little more kindness to your part of 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