When you keep the idea of kindness in the forefront of your mind, you’ll reap incredible peace and satisfaction. Plus, you’ll bring joy and serenity to the lives of others.
Take a look at the following suggestions of how to go about thinking, living and breathing kindness. You’ll find yourself loving life more and more when you carry out these simple acts of kindness each day.
1. Focus on kindness. In the morning when you brush your teeth, think about how you’ll be good to others today.
* Maybe you’ll call your grandmother to let her know you’re thinking about her. Perhaps you’ll help your neighbor carry in her groceries. You might even choose to refrain from arguing with your spouse when he’s in a challenging mood.
2. Avoid office gossip. Side-stepping whenever people “invite” you to join their negative talk is a true demonstration of kindness. Keep yourself from listening to unpleasant statements about others and refrain from adding anything to the conversation. Now that’s covert kindness at its best.
3. Give recognition and validation. Everyone wants to be recognized for something. They want people to understand them and let them know they’re important in some way. Whenever you see people working is a great time to practice this essential skill. Try it at your workplace.
4. Contemplate new ways to be kind. As you see a co-worker walking toward you, quickly consider ways you can radiate kindness right now. Can you genuinely compliment her in some way, say how happy you are to see her, or comment on her hard work on a project?
5. Consider friends who may be struggling. If you know someone who’s experiencing a particular life challenge, ask yourself, “If I was in her position, what type of help would I want from others? A social evening out with friends to unwind? A quiet listener?” Then, provide this for the person as an act of kindness.
6. Use technology to be kind. Think of how wonderful it is to get a text from someone who tells you how much you helped her or how much you matter to her. Texting is quick and easy, yet it can be used to send a powerful and kind message to someone. The same goes for e-mail.
* These acts of kindness take only seconds to type but can have a huge positive impact on people you care about.
7. Think of yourself as an instrument of kindness. When you believe you can greatly affect the feelings of others through simple acts of kindness, you’ll be compelled to act in this manner.
* Have you considered that maybe you were put on this earth to be kind to others? If you believe it’s your job, role or destiny to be good to others, you’ll begin to behave with kindness all the time.
Being kind to others will bring you serenity and comfort like nothing else will. Sure, making a habit of this will take some effort, but you’ll be surprised at how little. As you consistently remind yourself to be good to others, practicing kindness will become second nature for you.