Since its launch in 1998, World Kindness Day has been celebrated around the world, each year, on November 13. Started by the World Kindness Movement, an international NGO with no political or religious affiliations, the day’s mission is “to highlight good deeds in the community, focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness for good which binds us.”
Kindness, much like love or patience, is a practice, and it starts with being kinder to ourselves. There’s a famous story about someone asking the Dalai Lama about self-hatred and the feelings of unworthiness and self-criticism that are so common in our society. The Dalai Lama couldn’t understand the question, despite the best efforts of his translator. The concept of hating oneself was completely foreign to him.
Louise Lynn Hay, a motivational author and speaker, once said, “Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try being more approving of yourself and see what happens.” What miracles might unfold in our lives if we began to be more compassionate with ourselves? And, similarly, what would happen if we were just a little bit kinder to the people around us?
Kindness heals both the giver and the receiver. It softens us, makes us feel good and has the capacity to trigger a chain reaction of positivity in the world. It’s simple and can become contagious. It reminds us that we’re not alone in the world, that we are all connected and that we have the power to change the course of someone’s day with just a simple word or gesture.
As Leo Buscaglia said: “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
Acts of kindness don’t need to be complicated and do not require a lot of money. The simpler and more honest, the more effective. While kindness can be planned, more often than not it’s something that just arises in the moment. So often, the most highly appreciated act of kindness is a result of simply listening and paying closer attention to the people around you. Opportunities for kindness are always present; we just have to learn to see them.
With that in mind, here are some ideas …
1) Shovel your neighbour’s driveway after the next snowfall, or clean off your spouse’s icy windshield before work.
2) Send a small gift, via snail mail, to an old friend.
3) Write a positive review online for a local business that you love.
4) Smile at every stranger you cross paths with today.
5) Send a text message or an email to a friend or family member you haven’t heard from in a long time.
6) Put a few extra quarters in parking meters that are about to expire.
7) Let a car merge ahead of you in traffic, or hold the door open for someone who’s in a rush.
8) Buy yourself some flowers or run yourself a hot bath.
9) Refrain from gossiping about other people.
10) Take a walk in nature with someone you love.
11) Give your partner a back rub at the end of a long day.
12) Buy a few copies of your favourite book and leave them in different places around town for others to enjoy.
13) Cook your partner their favourite meal, or make your kids their favourite dessert without it being a special occasion.
14) Donate books to the library; or food (or your time) to the Whitehorse Food Bank (whitehorsefoodbank.ca).
15) Buy a coffee for someone at work (or for the person waiting behind you in line at a coffee shop).
16) Write yourself a love letter: see “Letters from Love” on Elizabeth Gilbert’s substack (substack.com/@elizabethgilbert).
17) Put aside your chores for a day and treat yourself to a nap.
18) Give at least five sincere and heartfelt compliments.
19) Share something delicious and home-cooked, with a neighbour who lives alone.
20) Invite a friend to go see Kings of the North: The Search For The Last Of The Ice Bears at the Yukon Arts Centre (playing on Friday, Nov. 10: yukontickets.com/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/tmEvent2683.html).
21) Offer to pick up some things at the grocery store for someone you know who doesn’t have much time or can’t get out of the house easily.
22) Put out some bird seed on an especially cold day, or go for an extra-long walk with your dog (animals deserve our kindness too!).
23) Share some extra time with your kids, even if you’re tired and don’t feel like you have time to spare.
24) Buy lunch for someone who really needs it.
25) Say something loving to yourself in the mirror, and give yourself a high-five (melrobbins.com/high5habit).
If you’re looking for more ideas, check out the free “kindness resources” on the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website (randomactsofkindness.org)
