There’s an amazing ripple effect that happens when you lead by example. Where can it be easily seen? Through Random Acts of Kindness.

We’ve all had times when we’ve reached out to complete strangers to offer help or assistance
Consider:

• How many times have you held a heavy door open for someone to walk through safely?
• How many times have you helped someone in the grocery store with something that was beyond their reach?
• How many times have you picked something up and handed it to the person who unknowingly dropped their item?

Probably more times than you can remember.
What about this:

• Have you ever helped offer directions to someone who seemed lost?
• How about helping a mom struggling with a young baby and her stroller?
• Or helped the old man with a cane get down a flight of stairs?
• Have you ever picked up some trash that was blowing in the wind and put it in a trash can?

You probably have and if you didn’t do those exact things, you’ve been kind to strangers in other ways. Most people have. There wasn’t a specific reason why you did it, it was just something you decided to do. You also didn’t expect any reward for those random acts of kindness. It just felt good to do something kind for someone else.

In our rapidly changing world, we’re seeing the best and the worst in others. So, since all of us contribute to the whole, why not do our part to spread some extra kindness?

The Random Acts of Kindness that so many people engage in on a daily basis are often opportunities spotted and fulfilled without any conscious thought at all.

But what if we applied conscious thought and actively looked for opportunities to help others?

Would it make a difference in the life of that stranger that you helped? Of course. Someone stepping up to help in their hour of need would give them a huge sigh of relief. Even if they weren’t in need but hadn’t expected to receive your unexpected gesture, wouldn’t that just make them feel great?

But what about you?

How would it make you feel?

How would you feel about being in the right place, at the right time, to help someone when nobody else could or would?

This immeasurable, unquantifiable, feel-good factor would light you up for hours. For the recipient of your kindness, they’d probably talk about it with everyone they spoke with that day.

What if those people were also inspired by your example, and they, too, consciously started finding people each day that they could help?

Ripples on a Pond

Just like ripples on a pond, your single, Random Act of Kindness could have a very far reaching, positive effect on the lives of many people.

Strangers that you’ve never met could have a smile on their face today, just because of your kind gesture.

So, what if you committed to making Random Acts of Kindness part of your routine?

What if it was your action that caused that ripple in the pond and because of it, others were positively impacted do something kind for another person too?

The only way we change is by making decisions and taking action. By consciously choosing to do Random Acts of Kindness, you can change the lives of a stranger, and feel great in the process.

So, let’s propose a challenge:

Commit to one Random Act of Kindness each day for one week. That’s seven days, seven opportunities to make someone smile, and seven opportunities to make yourself feel good by helping someone else in their moment of need.

If you like it, keep it going.

Whether you pick up the tab for the person behind you at the drive through, compliment someone’s work or style, thank someone for their contribution or anything else you can think of, your Random Act of Kindness may just be what that person needed most at that very moment. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived — that is to have succeeded.”

The best part is, it doesn’t have to be anything big. It’s those small Random Acts of Kindness that leave a big impact.

What’s been your favorite Random Act of Kindness you’ve done or received? I’d love to know, comment and share!

Dr. Debi
Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute