Kindness and compassion are among the principal things that make our lives meaningful. They are a source of lasting happiness and joy. They are the foundation of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others.
– His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Hello my fellow Kindness followers. Friday November 13th is World Kindness Day! It is the perfect opportunity to start living the 4 Acts of Kindness daily and to invite kindness into your life and those around you.
Kindness can come is so many forms, but I believe true, genuine kindness must first come from within. That is why I have designed the 4 Acts of Kindness in the order they are listed. First, be kind to yourself. What does that mean? It will be different and personal for each individual, but think of it as listening to that inner voice, feeding your soul and giving yourself what you need, and loving and honoring yourself before anyone or anything else. Once you have figured out how to be kind to yourself, then you are ready to move onto being kind to others and practicing your inner kindness on those around you: your children, spouse, significant other, friends and colleagues. Third you can move onto being kind to strangers, saying hello, smiling, buying a coffee, letting someone merge into your lane, or offering up your seat to an elderly person. The final act of kindness is to our earth. There are endless ways to be kind to our plant, recycle, walk or ride your bike, purchase food and products from companies that protect the earth and be grateful for what she provides.
As far as the acts of kindness they can be big or small. They can be personal or meant to be shared easily.
Take the pledge and commit to living the 4 Acts of Kindness everyday. Starting Friday November 13th, on World Kindness Day, I will guide you through the process by providing a daily theme to carry out the 4 Acts of Kindness.
Here is how you can start:
- Practice the 4 Acts of Kindness Today: Kindness to Self, Kindness to Others, Kindness to Strangers, Kindness to Our Planet.
- Help spread the idea of practicing 4 Acts of Kindness to your friends via your favorite social media outlet.
- See how other organizations are promoting and practicing kindness on the Kindness Resource page.
- Talk to your kids about what it means to be kind and help them perform the 4 Acts of Kindness.
- Check back tomorrow for additional ideas on how to find, create and live one kindness at a time.
All we can do is try, but if we purposely and with great intent try to perform 4 Acts of Kindness daily, I believe that we can change ourselves, the people around us, our larger community and the world for the better.
With Kindness,
Jennifer Palazzo
Photo Courtesy of FreeImages.com/JynMeyer
4 Acts of Kindness 