9 Tips & 3 Steps for Powerful Random Acts Of Kindness
- Pierre Moolman
- Jul 29, 2022
- 5 min read
Random acts of kindness, like the movie, Pay it Forward, and even more so, the book by Catherine Ryan Hyde, on which the movie was based, is an all round feel good experience. The difference is, unlike with the movie's once-off good experience, a single, once-off, random act of kindness is a gift to someone else that keeps on giving back!
Here are 9 tips and 3 steps that you can take right away, plus a suggested list for further reading, for when you need further information. Let's delve into it!
Kindness isn't trendy. It isn't a hot button topic. It’s not even politically correct or the latest buzz word in our destructive culture wars of late. And it doesn't get as much press as happiness, passion, or determination.
We think about it. But it's not something we strive to acquire.
That is a pity because by being kind in random acts of paying-it-forward, we don't just help the people around us; we help ourselves too. It is the proverbial no-brainer.
Select your one or two ideas from the following list of 9. Try it for a week. Then come back to this list, and select one or two others. Find what works for you.
1. Give Someone A Genuine Compliment
This is a great habit to get into in general. Simply hand out more genuine compliments. This will boost your mood and might make someone else's day. It might feel awkward, to begin with, but it will become second nature eventually.
2. Buy the Person Behind You a Coffee
If you have the means, next time you are in the Drive-Thru, pay for the person behind you as well. This random act has a way of being passed on, or at the very least, talked about and shared. Who knows, maybe you can reignite people's imaginations! Just be the change you want to see.
3. Tell A Boss About a Good Employee
We live in a society where people seem all too willing to scream at retail workers. Instead of complaining about a bad job, why don't we mention good service more often? Make an effort to let a manager know when one of their staff does a great job. Doing this actually teaches you how to slowly but surely become more aware of the little things in life that you can be grateful for. What's more is that gratitude for s tiny thing is a teeny-weeny tiny seed that sprouts all sorts of fruit-bearing trees in our own lives.
4. Find a Charity You Believe In
If you have the means to make a charitable donation, your money will go a long way for someone less fortunate. It is money well worth spending because you learn to appreciate your little financial freedom. Do your research and find something that truly speaks to you.
An added benefit may be that your donation could be tax deductible. Why do people care whether a donation is tax deductible? Well, let's say you donate $100. And let's say your tax rate is 20%. That means, you get 20% back from the tax man. Not a whole lot, perhaps. But it means the tax man funded that 20%. And since you decided which charity got that 20%, you took control and had a direct say in how those tax dollars get doled out.
5. Volunteer Somewhere
If you don't have extra money, do you have an extra hour? Volunteering your time can be just as effective as a charitable donation, just more rewarding. Not only are you helping people in need, but you also get social interaction. And depending on where you donate your time, you may also learn a little gratitude for what you have and a little gratitude for what you bring to the world. You might even learn something new or meet someone interesting.
As you can see, you stand to gain a whole lot by spending just 1 hour like this.
Again, do your research. Find something that moves you. Ring them up or reach out to them by email or social media and find out in what small way you can become a part of their magic.
Beware: this is contagious!
6. Help Someone Who Needs It
Is there someone in your life who needs a little help? Go ahead and offer them a hand. Reach out with a call or a text and ask if they need anything. Sometimes, that gesture alone makes a world of difference to somebody.
7. Offer to Help People Who Seem Lost
Have you ever seen people, while you are out, who seem lost? Maybe they are looking at a map or their phone, pointing in different directions. Ask them if they need help finding something. Often people will be too shy to ask for help on their own. You can even be tremendously helpful even if you don't know where they're going, or can't speak their language. Let me explain:
When we just moved to Toronto from South Africa, it took forever to find our way. It was worse when we were trying to walk a few blocks because google maps and related apps on our smartphones were pretty useless among the skyscrapers. So now, when I'm downtown, especially around subway stations or bus terminals, I make a point to look for a pedestrian who seems confused by their not-so-smart-phones. Sometimes, all they need, is to know where they are precisely so that they can reorient themselves, and find meaning in the electronic map. Just point out direction (i.e. North, South, East, West, or which streets are to the left and right from where they are). They can usually help themselves from there.
8. Offer Workers a Drink
If you have some people working in your neighborhood, or even working at your place, offer them a drink. It shows them personal appreciation that validates their humanity. This is especially important on really hot days. You could play the hero with a well-timed delivery of ice-cold water. Or a hot beverage on a cold day.
9. Leave Positive Comments on Social Media
Social media can be a real cesspool. Everyone is trying to get a quick laugh by taking someone down. Other people post negative reviews of everything. Well, why not take a week and only leave positive social media comments. Go on google maps. Find the store or restaurant or service provider. Leave a good review. Include constructive criticism if you feel like it. See how you feel after that week. I bet you will keep doing it! Especially when you start getting notifications of others who checked out the reviews first and marked yours as "helpful". Plus, if feels great when the business replies with a thank you.
Beware of your intentions, though. Don’t do it as a TikTok challenge.
Here's 3 action steps that you can take. See how you can expand it on your own:
Suggested Further by Reading
Check out these gems available on Amazon. Note that Woodbridge Hypnosis earns from your qualifying purchases. However, these books may be available at your local bookstore or library. And if not, find anything else that may be on topic!
Open the list to find out more about each. Click the link to buy it on Amazon.
1. The Hidden Power of Kindness - Buy it Now!
If you have trouble acting with the consistent kindness our Lord expects, your relationships with God and those you love may be suffering. That's why this book is such a godsend.
Lawrence Lovasik brings you simple directions for how to overcome unkind habits that can creep -- undetected -- into your behavior. If you want to make progress in the spiritual life, don't miss these insights: they'll give you years of solid help to grow in charity and truly transform your corner of the world!
2. Deep Kindness - Buy it Now!
“Deep Kindness reminds us that when we show up in our lives with empathy, compassion, and love, our world changes for the better.” —Leon Logothetis, bestselling author of The Kindness Diaries
Spread meaningful kindness in your everyday life with this essential guidebook to making the world a kinder, more accepting place.
Practicing kindness is an essential step in helping to repair a world that has grown to be more divisive, lonely, and anxious than ever. But with quotes like, “Just be kind” or, “Throw kindness around like confetti,” we’ve oversimplified what it takes to actually demonstrate kindness in a world crying out for it.
Deep Kindness pairs anecdotes with actions that can make real change in our own lives, the lives of others, and throughout the world. Diving into the types of kindness the world needs most today, this book takes an honest look at the gap between our belief in kindness and our ability to practice it well—and shows us how to put intention into action. Exploring everything from the empathy gap to the skill of emotional regulation, Deep Kindness is perfect for anyone who believes in a kinder world and recognizes that there is a lot of work to do before we achieve it.
3. The War for Kindness - Buy it Now!
“In this masterpiece, Jamil Zaki weaves together the very latest science with stories that will stay in your heart forever.”—Angela Duckworth, author of Grit
Don’t miss Jamil Zaki’s TED Talk, “We’re experiencing an empathy shortage, but we can fix it together,” online now.
Empathy is in short supply. We struggle to understand people who aren’t like us, but find it easy to hate them. Studies show that we are less caring than we were even thirty years ago. In 2006, Barack Obama said that the United States was suffering from an “empathy deficit.” Since then, things seem to have only gotten worse.
It doesn’t have to be this way. In this groundbreaking book, Jamil Zaki shares cutting-edge research, including experiments from his own lab, showing that empathy is not a fixed trait—something we’re born with or not—but rather a skill that can be strengthened through effort. He also tells the stories of people who embody this new perspective, fighting for kindness in the most difficult of circumstances. We meet a former neo-Nazi who is now helping to extract people from hate groups, ex-prisoners discussing novels with the judge who sentenced them, Washington police officers changing their culture to decrease violence among their ranks, and NICU nurses fine-tuning their empathy so that they don’t succumb to burnout.
Written with clarity and passion, The War for Kindness is an inspiring call to action. The future may depend on whether we accept the challenge.
Praise for The War for Kindness
“A wide-ranging practical guide to making the world better.”—NPR
“Relating anecdotes and test cases from his fellow researchers, news events and the imaginary world of literature and entertainment, Zaki makes a vital case for ‘fighting for kindness.’ . . . If he’s right—and after reading The War for Kindness, you’ll probably think so—Zaki’s work is right on time.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“In this landmark book, Jamil Zaki gives us a revolutionary perspective on empathy: Empathy can be developed, and, when it is, people, relationships, organizations, and cultures are changed.”—Carol Dweck, author of Mindset
4. Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community - Buy it Now!
A New York Times Bestseller
For Lady Gaga, kindness is the driving force behind everything she says and does.
The quiet power of kindness can change the way we view one another, our communities, and even ourselves. She embodies this mission, and through her work, brings more kindness into our world every single day.
Lady Gaga has always believed in the importance of being yourself, being kind to yourself, and being kind to others, no matter who they are or where they come from. With that sentiment in mind, she and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, founded Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the world a kinder and braver place. Through the years, they've collected stories of kindness, bravery and resilience from young people all over the world, proving that kindness truly is the universal language. And now, we invite you to read these stories and follow along as each and every young author finds their voice just as Lady Gaga has found hers.
Within these pages, you’ll meet young changemakers who found their inner strength, who prevailed in the face of bullies, who started their own social movements, who decided to break through the mental health stigma and share how they felt, who created safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, and who have embraced kindness with every fiber of their being by helping others without the expectation of anything in return.
In one story, you’ll read about a young person with an autoimmune disease, who after being bullied at school, learned how to practice self-love and started an organization with the mission of educating others about the importance of self-love, too; and in another story, you’ll meet a young person who decided to start a movement to help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and encouraged others to talk about their feelings openly and honestly, a reminder that kindness and mental wellness go hand in hand.
Not only were we moved by these individual acts of kindness, but we were also touched by the many stories of organizations, neighborhoods, and entire communities that fully dedicated themselves to helping those in need and found new, innovative ways to make our world a kinder and braver place.
Individually and collectively, these stories prove that kindness not only saves lives but builds community. Kindness is inclusion, it is pride, it is empathy, it is compassion, it is self-respect and it is the guiding light to love. Kindness is always transformational, and its never-ending ripples result in even more kind acts that can change our lives, our communities, and our world.
5. The Power of Kindness - Buy it Now!
The popular guide to living with kindness now includes a new chapter, introduction, and exercises in this tenth-anniversary edition.
When The Power of Kindness first appeared in 2006 it thrilled and challenged readers with one audacious promise: Your acts of generosity and decency are the secret to a fuller, more satisfying life. Kindness is not some squishy virtue but the very key to your own happiness.
With nearly 125,000 copies sold, TarcherPerigee is celebrating the book's tenth anniversary with this new edition, featuring a complete new chapter by Piero Ferrucci on the theme of "Harmlessness," which joins his other chapters on virtues such as "Honesty," "Warmth," and "Loyalty." In addition, Ferrucci contributes a substantial new introduction and selection of techniques, meditations, and exercises.
This tenth-anniversary volume is perfect for new readers and for lovers of the original who want to re-experience its wisdom and power.
6. Pay it Forward - Buy it Now!
The book that inspired the movie won the "Best Book for Young Readers" award in 2001.
A moving and life affirming tale of the goodness implicit in everyone follows twelve year old Trevor, a boy from a troubled family, who develops a plan as part of a school project that starts people doing good things for each other.
A second young adult version was released in 2014, that you can check out here.
And the movie is available on DVD at this link right here.
These are small action steps that you can start in your life today. I am very passionate about our innate ability to form little things into natural habits that can shape our behavior in amazing ways. Check out the 15 Uncommon MicroHabits eBook that you can get here, for free. Check out the video and be sure to subscribe to the follow-up tips and tricks that I will share with you every other day, and take one small step on your wood bridge to success!
Also check out my e-Book, Transformation, that you can buy here.
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