What is a random act of kindness? It’s doing something nice for someone without expecting anything in return. It could be helping someone put their groceries in the bag at the supermarket or even letting someone go before you in line when buying coffee in the morning, because you can see they are in a hurry.
It doesn’t take much from your part to make someone’s day a liiiiiittle bit better and you can never know what kind of butterfly effect you’re starting, but you may be contributing to something bigger than you actually expect.
Here are a few benefits you get from practicing your random acts of kindness more often:
- You feel good about yourself – remember when you helped someone pick up the papers they just dropped on the floor. You feel like a million bucks because you can see the gratitude in the other person’s thank you.
- You realize that there’s enough to go around – when you give something, your time, a dollar, your attention – you realize you have plenty of everything. It’s worth paying it forward to others as well.
- You strengthen your health – positivity is related to wellbeing. Studies show that, by practicing random acts of kindness, anxiety is reduced and happiness is increased. Try it and you’ll see the change!
- You make others happy – just imagine how you can change someone’s day by just making them a compliment or reassuring them that everything will be fine in the end. It’s a priceless feeling.
- It helps the people that witness the act of kindness – start something that will stick around for a while. Gratitude is a great motivator for people to start feeling more optimistic about life and also trying to give back what has been given to them.
A simple act of kindness doesn’t have to cost you a dime, but the returns are priceless. There are countless opportunities to be kind each day. Think of someone you could help in a simple, but meaningful, way. Try to be kind without any expectation of receiving anything in return. Notice how you feel afterwards. You won’t want to stop.