A challenge to perform one act of kindness a day for 30-days
I intentionally avoid watching the news but if you’re online at all these days it’s really tough to avoid the negativity. The amount of hatred, pain, and violence that is taking place every day is incomprehensible to me.
All of this anger is driven by fear. Fear can lead people to behave in ways they otherwise wouldn’t.
If we could let go of fear and operate from a place of love we might see the change we wish for.
There are so many influences telling us to be afraid so in order to make the shift from fear to love, we need to consciously choose love and put it into practice every day, in every way.
The way we treat people, the way we behave both in person and behind a screen, the words we use, and the example we model for our children are all choices we need to be aware of every day.
In an effort to begin to be the change, I’m challenging myself and YOU to perform one act of kindness each day for the next 30-days.
I first talked about kindness here.
Here are a few other ideas to get you started:
Be gentle with yourself. In the spirit of putting your oxygen mask on first, don’t carry the weight of everything that’s wrong in the world. Don’t call yourself names when you make a mistake or have a bad moment. Trust in your intentions and let that be enough.
Smile. To the jogger who runs by you, the cranky woman rushing within 6 inches of you in the grocery store, your mail carrier who is dutifully at your mailbox each day or whomever you might see, lend them a smile to let them know you see them and everything is ok.
Listen with compassion and empathy. You never know what’s happening in someone else’s life. These days stress and isolation is triggering so many insecurities and illnesses in people. When someone reaches out, just listen. Sometimes all they need is to be heard.
Hug your child. This pandemic has created anxiety for our kids too, and it’s showing up in all kinds of ways. A friend recently reminded me that when children feel anxious they either fight or flight. When this happens, meet them where they are with a hug. A hug can solve so many problems.
Be a resource. Lean into your skills, your talents, or your profession to provide information, ideas, referrals, or whatever someone might need to solve a problem or answer a question.
Volunteer. There are so many local organizations that can use your help right now. Places like your local food pantry, elder services, homeless shelters plus so many others. The opportunities are endless. The best way to truly understand what others are going through is by helping them and seeing them face-to-face.
Are you up to the challenge? Drop a note or better yet, a short video on our Facebook page each day.
In the words of Ellen Degeneres, “Be kind to one other.”
Masks in the image courtesy of Be Good to People