As part of Personal Socially Responsibility (PSR), you might want to consider carrying out random acts of kindness on a daily basis.
It is truly a win /win / win situation. The person you are being kind to benefits through your help. You feel good for having helped someone. And the world is a better place through your kindness.
Never underestimate the impact of a single act of kindness. I still remember after all these years, how someone stopped and helped me after I had broken down. Since then, I have stopped on the road myself and helped stranded motorists a number of times. All because of that single act of kindness by a stranger.
Also, it is important to carry out your acts of kindess without expecting anything back.
So where do you begin?
To get you started, I have listed a few ideas below.
Put them into practice and also create your own:-
• Send someone a hand written note of thanks
• Make a card at home and send it to a friend for no reason.
• Buy a lottery ticket for a stranger
• Put some coins in someone else’s parking meter.
• Buy a coffee for the man on the high street selling The Big Issue magazine
• Cut your neighbour’s hedge
• Walk your friend’s dog
• Give a compliment about your waiter / waitress to his / her manager
• Send someone a small gift anonymously
• Stop and help someone replace their flat tyre
• Let someone jump the queue at the bank
• Pay for the drinks on the next table at a café
• Treat a friend to the movies for no reason
• Give a huge tip to someone when they least expect it
• Hold the train door open for someone rushing to get in
• Give up your seat for someone, not just an elderly person
• Write notes of appreciation at least once a week
• Talk to a homeless person and have a “normal” conversation
• Pick up some rubbish in the road which would otherwise be lying around
• Compliment a work colleague for their excellence
• Recommend a competitor to a potential client
• Give another driver your parking spot
• Give a piece of fruit to a delivery person
• Help an elderly neighbour carry the rubbish out
• Tell all your family members how much your appreciate them
• Leave a copy of an interesting book on a train / bus
• Buy an inspirational book for a friend
• Send a thank you note to a person who has helped you in the past
• Smile a lot
What goes around is sure to come around – happy helping :-)
PS – Please do share your own ideas and how you get on with spreading kindness in the world.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I love Arvind’s idea of a world where there is more kindness, expecting nothing in return.
I would like to offer this thought to all my friends out there in business; I try to conduct myself at all times in a courteous, polite and respectful fashion, and sometimes feel like this is not a common attitude! I encounter so many cases of people who do not return phone calls, voicemails, email messages; my view is, even if the message is from somebody who wants to do business with you, it costs very little to return messages and a polite ‘no thankyou’ is not so difficult, rather than waste other people’s time by ignoring them.
I have also taken to sending friendly, personal-level messages to business contacts, with nothing requested in return (e.g. get well soon messages). Picturing the smile on their face when they read such an email, in a sea of ’spam’ is reward enough!
One other suggestion; buy an inspiring book and give it to a business contact… I did this, and the person I gave it too was overwhelmed. The cost was almost nothing, but it really made her day!
Let’s have more kindness in the world. Good on you, Arvind!
Paul
Hey Arvind,
I have an extra way of bringing happiness. I realised that, as I am fortunate to move amongst many people who also wish to bring happiness, I could bring the biggest smiles by letting them know they had succeeded. For example, telling a friend how easy I find it to be honest and undefended in her company, or (in an edgy work situation) letting a colleague know that I felt supported just by her presence.
Knowing when we succeed is the greatest motivation to carry on.
Keep smiling people!
Lunar