Random Acts of Kindness

Have you ever noticed that kindness is contagious?

A school in Seattle teaches a class on kindness. The teacher gives the class assignments: be kind to yourself, a family member, a friend, a stranger. The students often ended up integrating their new-found kind behavior into their daily life. 

Those students teach us a beautiful lesson: that it's possible to train ourselves to be more thoughtful. Although Random Acts of Kindness are simple to do; we have to plan for them until they become a natural part of our life. Below are some simple ideas to get you started:

For Adults:

Smile and say "hi" to a stranger

Open the door for someone

Befriend a new co-worker

Let your staff leave early

Let someone move ahead of you in the grocery check our line

Tell someone a true compliment

Pick up trash while on a walk

Visit a sick friend

For Children: 

Befriend a new kid in school

Write a teacher a note of appreciation

Bring a treat to share with the class

Allow a new friend to join your group

Be kind to the kid that is picked on

Help a friend with their homework

Charitable:

Donate old but nice clothes to a shelter

Donate blankets to the homeless and/or animal shelter

With a little money:

 Buy a lottery ticket and give it to someone on the street

Pass out helium balloons to people on the street

Leave enough change in the vending machine for the next person

Deliver baked cookies to the local fire station

Give someone who is struggling a grocery store gift card

Top off someones parking meter

Pay the toll of the car behind you

Give a homeless person a gift card for a meal

This New Year, let's reach out as often as possible and create a ripple effect of charity, hope and kindness. Let's turn 2010 into a year to be remembered not because of its troubles, but because of its solutions. Together, with just a single act of kindness each day, we can make this world a better place.