It’s Time to Make a Difference: Conscious Kindness
Can you feel it? The world is on edge. I’m not speaking of countries or wars or terrorism. I’m referring to the everyday man and woman on the street. The world is angry and it doesn’t know why. People have become more aggressive on the roads, in the supermarkets and especially on social media platforms.
They are lashing out at politicians, friends, and strangers. They are posting messages about stress related illnesses looking for understanding and support from anyone and everyone they can reach. It’s understandable, they are scared, angry and confused and don’t know which way to run or who to fight. It’s a worldwide phenomenon and it will eventually tear us all down unless something changes.
The sad reality is that the constant stream of problems in this world, that we cannot change, fix or influence are leaving us all feeling helpless and impotent at a subconscious level. It causes us to lash out, experience feelings of depression, and most especially unexamined fear and constant anxiety.
I have a solution, a grassroots solution, that will bring back a sense of control in your life and make the world a better place. Are you ready? It’s kind or radical… It might be difficult… it might be the easiest thing in the world.
Forget random acts of kindness. Instead, every day for the next month perform a conscious act of kindness. Know what you are doing, don’t expect anything in return, and don’t call it a day until you have a chance to reflect on the simple question, “Did I do something kind today.”
It doesn’t have to be a large thing either, here are a few suggestions to get you started:
♥Tell someone that is lonely that they aren’t alone. It’s as easy as saying “Hello, how are you? It’s really nice to know you.”
♥Buy an inexpensive gift card to a coffeeshop and give it to a struggling mother. It won’t solve any financial problems they may be having, but I promise it has been ages since she has allowed herself the simple pleasure of sitting in a coffeeshop drinking an expensive coffee.
♥Write an email to a person that hurt you and simply say, “I forgive you, I hope you are well.”
♥It’s cliché, but help an elderly person across the street instead of walking by them as fast as you can. I promise they aren’t walking slow just to annoy you.
♥Donate an hour at a library reading books to small children.
♥Compliment someone that has performed a service for you and tell them they are appreciated (waitress, cashier, retail store personnel, someone in a customer service call center.)
There are so many other small gestures you could make that will change the way you see the world; the way others see you and their own world that it would be impossible to make a worthy list. But it will only work if you do it consciously, with thought and contemplation. With the knowledge that you did something kind and it felt right.
I have thousands of Twitter followers, around a thousand Facebook friends, unknown numbers of people that read my blog and visit my website and I challenge each and every one of you to spend the next thirty days performing one conscious act of kindness a day. I further challenge you to pass this message along to your friends, fans, followers, family and ask them to do the same.