The other day, I was standing in the check-out queue at our local pharmacy. In front of me, a young lady was holding her purchases in her hands, somehow juggling to stop them from falling on the ground. An elderly gentleman, who was also standing in the queue saw this happening, and dashed off to get her a basket.
Such a small act of kindness but it meant so much to the young lady as she thanked him profusely for helping her out. When the gentleman went to pay for his purchases, she turned to me and said that it gives her hope again in the human race when someone displays such kindness. He had made her day.
We underestimate the power of kindness. We forget that every one of us is silently facing inner (and external) battles, small or large, but battles anyway. Sometimes, we are facing these battles alone and when this happens, the world can appear a very scary and lonely place to be in.
By reaching out through random acts of kindness, we are making someone’s day a better one.
Through random acts of kindness, we're ensuring that someone finds hope again or simply has a reason to smile and feel good deep inside of them. We're ensuring that the energy of light and love flows and as we all know, where attention goes, energy flows.
So, make sure it’s the right kind of attention – kindness breeds kindness.
Here, in South Africa, a new trend has taken off on Facebook - #Imstaying. Incredible stories of kindness are being displayed in the posts on this page. These stories give us all hope, strength, and love for all people no matter what color, culture, or religion.
That is the power of random acts of kindness.
Random acts of kindness mean being aware of others, showing empathy, and having an understanding that we're all human after all and that all it takes to connect is displaying this understanding through compassion and kindness.
A client of mine experienced the power of kindness recently when she was approached by two men asking to use her cell phone. They were desperately trying to contact their supervisor and if they didn’t, they knew they would lose their jobs. My client’s first reaction was to mistrust them, expecting them to run off with her cell phone.
A voice then told her, “It’s okay, help them” and she did. Her act of kindness helped these men to keep their jobs that day. She also learned an empowering lesson herself that day – that by learning to trust her inner voice, she was empowered to show a random act of kindness.
Her act of kindness reinforced to these two men to realize that there are, indeed, good and kind people out there.
Random acts of kindness mean getting out of your head and out of your problems, reaching out, and showing that you care. These acts don't have to cost you anything but a smile and a hug.
Or, giving someone a shoulder to cry on when they feel they can't go on anymore. It can be as simple as listening to someone as they talk about a problem they're facing or simply being aware that someone needs a basket to put in their shopping purchases.
What random acts of kindness will you perform today?