You are tired, have had a bad day, your feet is aching. You see someone who is unable to stand, get into the bus you have just boarded. Would you give your seat to this person?
Random acts of kindness brighten another’s day and gives pleasure to the person engaged in the act of kindness. Kindness is typically spoken in terms of being nice, caring for others or doing something.
Have you thought of kindness as not doing or saying something? Click to Tweet
Three years ago, I was getting out of my gym and slipped just outside the building and twisted my ankle. The twist was so bad that I was unable to stand up on my own. For a good two to three minutes I was wreathing in pain and not a single soul in the busy city that I live in bothered to ask me, if I need help. Suddenly I saw a Good Samaritan come running across the road and asked me if I need help and helped me stand up. This is a conscious act of kindness.
Kindness to me is
What you say or don’t
What you do or don’t
Who you are in your actions and behavior Click to Tweet
Aren’t being kind all of these:
1. Silence – when you know someone has made a mistake at work, do you embarrass the person in front of others or take the person aside and ask questions in a way that they realize their mistake? Calling to another person’s mistakes indirectly is an act of kindness because you appreciate that the person has done a mistake and you give an opportunity to that person to correct their mistake.
2. Speak up – there is no point in saying you care about women and stand up against violence against women when you partake in hearing and passing sexist comments. Silently hearing these comments is as good as being a participant. Passing cheap comments on social media about animals or women or any human is not being kind. If you are part of a “bystander effect” you are not kind.
3. Humor – in life you can’t be all serious and not have fun. Use humor but not to assassinate somebody’s character or to insult somebody. You are kind if you decide not to pass that cheap humor or sarcastic comment.
4. Being right – even if you are right, there comes many a situation in life, it is better to be kind than proving you are right. This can be difficult many times but think of situations when it is better to let go because you know that you’ll possibly make it worse to prove you are right.
5. Sorry – if you are sorry say “Sorry”, not “I’m sorry but”. What is the use of an apology with buts? Click To Tweet
6. Thoughts and actions – a smile, a hug, offering a seat in a public transport to somebody, holding the door open for someone, volunteering are all acts of Kindness. And, don’t forget many a time not acting in a particular way or not saying something is an act of kindness too. Respect another person’s time and keep up your word and commitment. Click to Tweet
7. Anger – Not giving in to your anger is an act of kindness no matter how right you are.
8. Forgiveness – this is a tricky one especially if that person whom you have to forgive has hurt you deeply. But the best way to think about this is you need to be kind to yourself and in that self-compassion forgive the other person or block that bad memory so that you don’t agonize yourself over the hurt.
9. Listening – Not burying your head in your phone when you are in a meeting at work or off work is giving respect to the person who is having a conversation with you. Being genuinely interested in the other person (not probing) is an act of kindness too. Listening with your heart and soul is the best gift you can give someone. Click To Tweet
10. How are you? – when someone asks you How Are you? Be kind to them in responding rather than giving a mechanical answer. The care that a person shows you by thinking about you and asking about your wellbeing is a kind act and one that needs to be cherished.
Mind your manners in public or on social media. You may think that it is your timeline and that gives you a right to behave in any, which way you want to. However, you reveal your character and the acts of ill mannerism speak volumes about You more than anyone else.
There is always more room for kindness. In this day and age where stress levels are high and emotional intelligence is the order of the day, why not be kind ?
Kindness is a way of showing others that they matter and that even in the face of stress and hostility, you can still be kind. Click To Tweet
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Another fantastic article. You are an incredible writer. Acts of kindness can come from many directions. The important thing is to open to give and show kidness when the opportunity shows itself. The person that helped with your ankle make right choice. More of us should do so everyday.
Thank you Tom. Yes, acts of kindness can come from many directions and the most important is not to forget that basic courtesies of being silent or speaking up or even the act of listening is an act of kindness. As you rightly point out being kind should come from within so that we use it when the opportunity shows itself. Thank you for the compliment and the comment Tom. I appreciate.
Nice article & good advice. Thanks
Thank you Gurmeet.
Well said Terri. The conscious acts of kindness make a big difference to us and to the person to whom we are kind.
Thank you so much.