How One Small Act of Kindness Impacts the World

Kindness Starts with the Small, Everyday Things.The Gift is in the Giving.

How good does it feel to be kind, and how good does it feel to receive kindness? If you are having a moment of self-doubt or feeling stressed or overwhelmed, the power of kindness can bring you back to the innate goodness of our hearts and make the challenges in life a little easier. Kindness is a beautiful reminder that we are all in this together, and we are never alone.

What do we associate with the word “kindness”? It’s a term with many different facets: generosity, mercy, humanity, helpfulness, empathy.

Kindness is the natural expression of the sutra “recognize that the other person is you”. In a yoga class, for example, we place our hands in a prayer pose and say ‘Namaste’ - meaning “I bow to you”, a perfect example that when we recognize that the other is us, it changes our whole perspective and therefore our thoughts and actions that are expressed. You may notice that in all spiritual teachings, we are consistently reminded to show kindness, generosity, and sympathy to everyone who crosses our path.

Kindness really is a powerful tool: the merest flash of kindness is enough to create a connection between two people. Let us use an example of two people who have never met before. One of them notices that something is wrong – perhaps the other person’s shopping bag has been ripped open. Nothing major, really. And yet it’s enough for that person to pause, step out of their own inner world and pay attention to the world around them so that a spontaneous act of kindness can occur.

And then, without thinking, they bend down to pick up the apples rolling along the pavement. And with a smile on their face, they pass them to the other person, who smiles back and thank them. These few seconds that the two people share – barely more than a blink of an eye – are enough to let each of them continue on their separate way with a smile on their face. Each person’s heart has been warmed a little. Both are now in the mood to add to their own happiness and that of everyone else. By doing what they can.

By simply paying a little more attention to our fellow humans, especially to the tired and stressed people around us, we can help to make each day a little brighter for everyone we encounter.

Throw Kindness Around like Confetti...

And now let’s imagine what would happen if these small gestures of pure and simple kindness sparked a chain reaction. If the kindness that we experience resulted in a further gesture of kindness towards another person, and it continuously passed forward - the result could be a mighty domino effect with which we would actually change the world. - And all stemming from a small act of simple kindness. Ta da!

This got me thinking about small random acts of kindness we can do during our day to spread a little more sunshine in the world. 

I had a chat with some friends about this and we came up with some small kindness gestures (that we might take for granted at first glance) that have tremendous power when passed on from person to person.

Small but Mighty Acts of Kindness

• Smiling! Giving others (and ourselves) the gift of a smile is not only an act of kindness, but a scientifically proven health booster.

• Providing assistance to someone in trouble.

• Giving a compliment.

• Helping an elderly person to cross the road or walk up the stairs.

• Offering our seats on the bus or train.

• Holding the door or the lift for others and saying “thank you” when others do the same for us.

• Leaving the coin in the shopping trolley – as a gift to the next user.

• Buying a coffee for the person behind you so when they come to pay it’s already been paid for.

• Greeting others, thanking them, and wishing them a good day – whether it’s someone in the cafe at lunchtime or speaking with a traffic officer or policeman.

• Truly listening to others without interrupting them, judging them or getting distracted (by your smartphone, for example).

• Giving directions to someone who doesn’t know their way around.

• Leaving a random kind message – on a colleague’s desk, on the train, or a sticky note on the mirror for your partner when they wake up.

• Buying a homeless person something to eat.

• Letting someone with just a few purchases go ahead in the queue at the supermarket checkout.

• Gifting a book that you’ve read to someone else to enjoy.

Can you think of other random kindness acts to add to the list? I challenge you to see how many you can tick off the list each day!

Kindness brings happiness and is beneficial to everyone involved. Our natural way of being is to truly care for one another - so let’s start today. Let’s make kindness a natural, everyday thing – and lets celebrate this together tomorrow, Saturday, November 13th, the International Day Of Kindness!

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