Change Your Life’s Direction with Kindness

One of the fastest ways to change the direction your life is headed (for the better) is by doing acts of kindness, without the intention of receiving reward. There is something about doing something with the sole intention of helping someone else that really gives us true perspective as to what life is all about. It gives us a high, a purely great feeling about ourselves and humanity.

Acts of kindness, small and large, create a rippling effect; That is that they create a desire in you to do more and that they cause others to feel a similar effect. As these ripples affect more people they become larger. Ripples grow to waves. Creating waves of kindness could potentially change the world, stop war, save people’s lives, cure diseases, and do so much more. With all of the potential that small acts of kindness hold, and the tiny amount of effort that it takes to share kindness, it is a crime that we are not all kinder than we are now.

With this in mind, I’m going to remind both myself and my readers of a few easy ways to be kind:

• Smile – it’s the cheapest, fastest, and easiest form of kindness one can give. If you aren’t already giving this kindness to everyone you come into contact with you, it’s time to start. You may feel weird at first, but I promise you that your smile will change someone’s day.
• Share – Another example of a fast, easy form of kindness is sharing. Share a story, a game, a friend, your time; Anything that you are able to share that could benefit anyone else would be a wonderful form of kindness.
• Encourage – Your words of encouragement could be the difference between someone following their dream or not doing so. You don’t want to be responsible for anyone not following their dreams, do you? Give words of encouragement to anyone, anywhere, anytime you can.
• Compliment – Compliment others. Examples include complimenting a friend on his or her new hairstyle, clothing, or jewelry, complimenting a person on his or her cheerfulness, or anything else about a person that you feel deserves a compliment.
• Give Thanks – Thank any and every person around you that does anything to help you, even if only indirectly. They will notice that you care and it will develop in them a want to do even more. This will benefit you and the person.
• Give a helping hand – I know from experience that when things are low, when all seems lost, we still have the strength to persevere, and though we may not see the strength in ourselves, sometimes a helping hand can help lift us up, put us back on our feet, and kick us in the butt to get us running again. Give someone a helping hand, and your kindness will be the stepping stone that gets them back on track.
• Say, Think, and Write – When someone does something for you, something that impresses you, or anything kind at all recognize them for it. If your waiter gives you great service, tip him extra, or at the very least compliment him to his manager. When someone stops to let you in while driving, give a friendly wave. When you buy a great product and you really enjoy it, write a letter to the manufacturer telling exactly why and how you enjoy the product. Not only will this affect their day, but it will humble and satisfy you about yours. We could all use a little extra satisfaction, am I right?
• Politeness – In today’s world people are blunt and harsh, and words are sharp. Too often we say what we are thinking without a care for how it will affect the other person. There are no messages which cannot be conveyed kindly. No matter the situation, no matter how harsh you feel is necessary, there is a better way to say what you mean. Be Polite. Find the better way.
• Ban Negative Criticism – In Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” he talks about never criticizing anyone. The effects are never what you are looking for, and more often than not will fall upon deaf ears. People don’t hear the message when criticized, they only hear a personal attack. And that will only cause them to react defensively. Save yourself the trouble and never criticize anyone negatively.

There are many other ways to be kind. I’ve just touched on the few that came to me as I wrote this. I’m also working on kindness, which is a never ending struggle. What kinds of things do you do to show kindness to others? What tips would you give? Leave a comment, and help me and others become kinder people.

Have a great day!