• “The ideas that have lighted my way have been kindness, beauty and truth.” ~  Albert Einstein




• “Kindness is the oil that smoothen the friction of life.” ~Anonymous




• “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” ~  Arthur Ashe




• “All you have shall some day be given; Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors.” ~  Kahlil Gibran




• “No matter how little you have, you can always give some of it away.” ~ Catherine Marshall




• “Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.” ~ C. S. Lewis

Read the Full Story

©2011 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved

• Say “I love you” to the the people you love
• Hold the door open for the person behind you
• Let someone out in front of you in traffic
• Tip more than 15% especially when your server seems to be having a bad day
• Give something to the homeless (blankets, a jacket, a sandwich)
• Write a thank you note to one of your teachers past or present and let them know how grateful you are for them
• Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while
• Put some money in the parking meter for the next person
• Let the person who needs the closer parking spot have it
• Help the elderly and parents with small children
• Smile when you answer the phone
• Thank the men and women in uniform
• Share your umbrella with someone who doesn’t have one
• Smile and say hello to a complete stranger
• Pay someone’s toll
• Be kind to animals
• Pick up a check in a restaurant
• Volunteer in your community (hospital, soup kitchen, animal shelter)
• Practice gratitude everyday and simply be kind
• Pay the toll for the driver behind you.
• Take a minute to direct someone who is lost, even though you’re rushing.
• Write a letter to a child who could use some extra attention. Kids love getting mail.
• Offer to pick up groceries for an elderly neighbor, especially in extreme weather.
• Give a homeless person your doggie bag.
• Say “I love you” to someone you love.
• Put a coin in an expired meter.
• Help a mother carry her baby stroller up the subway stairs, or hold a door open for her.
• Each time you get a new item of clothing, give away something old.
• Take someone’s shift as the car-pool parent.
• Bring your assistant coffee.
• Out of the blue, send flowers to a friend.
• Say “please” and “thank you”—and really mean it.
• When you’re on a crowded train or bus, offer your seat to an elderly, disabled or pregnant person.
• Don’t interrupt when someone is explaining herself.
• Let a fellow driver merge into your lane.
• Offer to baby-sit for a single mom.
• Put your shopping cart back in its place.
• Call or write to a teacher who changed your life.
• Bring a box of doughnuts to share at the office.
• Forgive someone a debt–and never bring it up again.
• Listen with all your senses.
• Write a note to the boss of someone who helps you, and explain how great a job that person is doing.
• Simply say “I’m sorry” when you’re wrong.
• Throw away your trash—and someone else’s—after a movie, picnic or visit to a park.
• Encourage someone who seems despondent.
• Volunteer to take care of a friend’s dog while he is vacationing.
• Help a friend pack for a move.
• Ask someone “How are you really doing?”—and then really listen to her response.
• Offer change when the person in front of you at the register comes up short.
• Before a friend moves away, give her your favorite recipe or quote and a photo of the two of you together.
• Leave a generous tip for a pleasant waiter.
• At work, offer to transfer a caller who needs help from another department.
• Pass along a great book you’ve just finished reading.
• Offer to take someone to the Doctor, Dentist, Physical Therapy appointment.

If you have an idea you would like to share with us, please email them to us using the form on the Contact Page

Thank you,
The One Kind Act Team

The One Kind Act.com Team is asking for bloggers and Webmasters to lend a hand and spread the word about One Kind Act! It requires little effort and the payoff could be huge…

A few starter ideas:

• Link to One Kind Act.com from your site. see below
• Share a story with us.
• Mention One Kind Act on Facebook or Twitter @onekindactaday
• Write a little post about One Kind Act or post an idea here.
• Encourage others to link to us or write a little post on their blog about One Kind Act.
• Purchase One Kind Act.Com merchandise to help us with our operating expenses

DISCLAIMER – Must Read!

• Your One Kind Act has the power to change the world!
• Results make take time to been seen.
• You may not receive an immediate thank you.
• The world may change and people make look at you and smile.
• Someone might let you get in line at the store.
• A driver may let you get in front of them, without getting annoyed.
• Someone may compliment you and truly mean it.
• You may make someone’s day.

Thought to Ponder
Every kind act, no matter how small, is like a pebble tossed into the pond of human caring. The rings reach out far beyond the point of impact. If we act more kindly toward the people around us, those people act more kindly toward the people around them, and so it goes, on and on.

The Fine Print
All of the above are typical results of One Kind Act. Please be sure you can handle the change, and you agree not to hold us liable for any kind act that you may receive.

Copy and Paste the HTML Code Below into your site or use the direct link.

HTML:
<a href=”http://www.onekindact.com”>One Kind Act – Change the World</a>

Direct Link:
http://www.onekindact.com

Thanking you in advance,
All of us, (The Team) at One Kind Act.com

“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” ~  Arthur Ashe

“The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.  ~ John E. Southard

“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” ~  Albert Schweitzer.

“As much as we need a prosperous economy, we also need a prosperity of kindness and decency.” ~ Caroline Kennedy.

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” ~ Princess Diana.

The date decreed for World Kindness Day is 13th November. This was the opening day of the first World Kindness Movement® conference held at Tokyo in 1998, and the 35th anniversary of the Small Kindness Movement of Japan, which brought the signatories of the ‘declaration of kindness’ of the World Kindness Movement together in 1997.

The purpose of World Kindness Day is to look beyond ourselves, beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, our religion; and realise we are citizens of the world. As world citizens we have a commonality, and must realise that if progress is to be made in human relations and endeavours, if we are to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence, we must focus on what we have in common. When we find likenesses we begin to experience empathy, and in such a state we can fully relate to that person or those people. While we may think of people from other cultures as being ‘different’ when we compare them with our own customs and beliefs, it doesn’t mean that we are any better than they are. When we become friends with someone from a different culture we discover that despite some obvious differences, there are many similarities.

Sometimes knowledge is passed on to us about different races, different cultures, that has become distorted, and we build up a false, negative impression of these people. It is only when we get to know such people that we realise it is a lie.

Another form of separation is in those people who fail to let go of transgressions that have occurred in the past. This also applies to some groups, where bitterness from many hundreds of years ago has been passed down though generations, and hatred becomes a normal reaction to thoughts of, or association with, the other group of people. The recent genocide in Europe is a tragic example of this. There is a need to let go of past transgressions if we are to live in peace. While we cannot change the past, we can ensure such things never happen again.

If we were to ask ourselves on a regular basis, “Is what I am involved in at this moment promoting joining or separation?”, it would remind us of our commitment to kindness. All it requires is remembering. If our memory is not the best, small signs can be created and posted about the home and work environment. Simple solutions are workable solutions. Simple solutions to promote joining, working away at our goal for world peace with little acts of kindness, helping to break down the walls that separate races, religions, cultures. Helping our global brothers and sisters.

During the Great War (1914-18), when the dead were piled high in ‘no man’s land,’ a truce would be declared so the dead could be gathered by the respective sides. When this was completed, the battle would resume as if nothing had happened. One moment joining together in a common cause, the next, mortal enemies again. Do you associate this with day to day living? We have our moments of joining in a common cause – when we pause to be of service, or when we observe Kindness Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas Day, Anzac Day, Australia Day, Clean Up Australia Day, and so on. But then we go back to the way we were before the truce was declared – we go back to being at war! Not physically at war, but psychologically. At war with the traffic, our boss or a co-worker, the neighbour’s howling dog, rising prices, rude people, the noisy garbage truck, the promotion we didn’t get, unruly children, the computer crash, the noisy party, falling share prices, an argument with our partner, the washing machine breaking down, the late train or bus, the long queue, the parking ticket, the recording that says, “Your call is important to us,” the person who didn’t ‘understand.’ It seems as if the whole of humanity is going through some mid-life crisis. All of these stressful incidents in our engagement with the world is creating separation. How can we hope to have a peaceful world when we are incapable of creating peace in our own lives? We give energy to whatever we put our attention on, and how sad that our energy is generally focussed on the negative things (creating stress and hostility), and on the things we don’t have (creating feelings of lack and dissatisfaction). What would it take to focus on the good things about our life, and be thankful for what we have, instead of being resentful or irritated about what we don’t have?

We can be co-creators of a better world, and we can have a positive effect on world peace, when we bring order into our lives. Be what you want the world to be. Is that difficult? Only if you think it is! When we accept the reality that we can create positive change, we move beyond ourselves, our limitations, our doubts, and realise our infinite power. Anthropologist Margaret Mead said, Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

As mentioned before, as individuals we seem to have a habit of labeling some things as ‘too hard,’ without giving more than a moments consideration as to whether we might be able to achieve such a thing. To achieve something, all that is usually required is the application of a little persistence (for example, when we were learning to walk). Persistence is a magical thing. Calvin Coolidge had the following to say about persistence. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. We make an agreement with ourselves to keep working away at whatever it is we wish to achieve, little by little. By chipping away, like a sculptor at their block of marble, it is only a matter of time before we have given form to our thought. Such results are within the grasp of everyone – young and old, rich and needy, educated and uneducated, employed and unemployed or retired. People like you and me, carrying out small acts of kindness, making the world a better place.

Joseph Campbell tells us, “People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.” The ‘rapture of being alive’ is truly a wonderful expression, don’t you think? Such raptures give real purpose to our lives. When we carry out an act of kindness it creates a good feeling within us, which surely could be termed as one of the raptures of being alive.

We may be proud of our country, but if we think of ourselves as citizens of a country, it can become easy to distance ourselves from the misery taking place in other parts of the world. The basic principle of kindness is in joining, in acknowledging that we have a connection with every living thing on this wonderful planet of ours. As our kind acts and deeds bring greater kindness to the world, the barriers of separation will begin to crumble, bringing a rainbow of understanding and happiness to the people of the world.

As the name implies, World Kindness Day is about being kind to the world. The ‘Lonely Planet’ not only refers to a travel guide, it is descriptive of the Earth – the only planet in our solar system known to be teeming with life. It’s all we have, and it’s in everyone’s best interest to make it the nicest place to live, because it’s the only place we have to live. Yet all we’ve done since the dawn of civilisation is to destroy anything that stands in our way. And what price do we place on the homeless, the brutalised, the addicted, the downtrodden, the impoverished, and the ever widening gap between the wealthy and the needy? Isn’t it time everyone began thinking more about others and less about themselves? There is an obsession in society for a number of things, one of them is the accumulation of material wealth, far beyond that required to live a comfortable life. The power that wealth brings seems to be irresistible to some. But it can have a down side, and we hear from time to time about the principles of such people becoming a casualty.

World Kindness Day is the beginning of a global reaction to the exploitation of our human and natural resources. It could be said that the slogan for World Kindness Day might well be “Healing the World!” – and in doing so, there is the possibility of creating something so intrinsically good and wholesome, that the beneficial effects could be virtually endless.

This article has been reprinted in full and was written by the Australian Kindness Movement. Visit their website for additional information.
http://www.kindness.com.au/

Since starting the One Kind Thing initiative a few people have asked me, “What qualifies as a ‘kind thing’?” At first I thought it was a silly question – surely everyone knows what a ‘kind thing’ is, don’t they?

But after several people asked me, I had to reflect on it and I came to the conclusion that it’s actually a good question. Many things potentially fall into the ‘kind thing’ category, but some things don’t. With that in mind, I tried to come up with a clear, easy to remember guideline for people to follow.

One thing that immediately came to mind is doing things that would be considered ‘good manners’ do not qualify. I realise that in 2011 ‘good manners’ has a different definition than when I was taught how to be a gentleman, so some things I consider to be basic ‘good manners’ would probably qualify as ‘kind things’ to some people. I have more thoughts on good manners but I’ll save that for another post.

So… In the context of The Initiative,

“Kind Thing” means an unnecessary act performed specifically to help another person with no expectation of reward.

I know that’s a pretty general description but I think it neatly sums up the idea of The Initiative. Let’s break it down into its key parts:

“unnecessary act” means it’s not something you are required to do, but includes a host of things that, in my mind, you should do. Let’s look at a couple of examples:

1. You notice that someone drops a glove as they get off a subway train. It’s not required that you should pick it up and chase them down to return the item. And some people will argue that it’s not even something that you should feel obligated to do. So if you took a few seconds to return the glove, that would qualify as your One Kind Thing.

2. You notice a lady with a push-chair (stroller) at the bottom of a flight of stairs. There’s no requirement that you offer to help her carry it to the top of the stairs. If you are able (have the strength) and you take the time to help, that would qualify as your One Kind Thing.

3. You hold the door for someone as you walk into a building. This falls into the ‘good manners’ category and would not qualify as a Kind Thing.

4. You give up your seat on a train/bus for an elderly, pregnant or disabled person. This falls into the ‘good manners’ category and would not qualify as a Kind Thing.

“performed specifically” means doing the act is not part of something you were already doing. It’s something you consciously thought, “hey, it would be nice if I did something for that person” and then acted on it.

“to help” means to provide some sort of assistance.

“another person” means exactly that – someone else. The unsaid part of the rule is “in person”. While it’s a great thing to do and we support it whole-heartedly, donating money to charity does not meet this criteria. You should be able to ‘see the whites of their eyes’ while performing your act. This is key and should not be overlooked. It’s the personal contact element of the Kind Things that makes them so powerful for everyone involved.

“with no expectation of reward” means you do it because you genuinely want to help someone else, not because you think you’ll get recognised – financially or otherwise – for it.

Essentially “kind thing” means whatever you want it to mean. If it feels like a kind thing to you, then it probably is!

Just get out there and do something!!

What have you done today?

This article has been reprinted in full from One Kind Thing.Org. Please visit their site to learn more about “The Kindness Movement.”

Did you know that being nice to others can actually be good for you?
My mother always chided me to be nice.  Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t.  After all, we all get grumpy from time-to-time and take it out on those around us. We can see that being nice to others is good for them, but did you know it is in your best interest too?  Recognizing the personal benefits of being nice might motivate us to do it a little more often like when that person cuts us off in traffic.

What does it mean to be nice?
Niceness is rather vague.  What exactly does it mean to be nice?
Well, in my mind, it means being kind, generous, agreeable, pleasant, respectable, friendly, forgiving and tactful.  It means going out of your way to treat others in the way that you want to be treated.
The best portion of a good man’s life – his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.  ~William Wordsworth

Being nice when you get cut off in traffic, means that instead of assuming the driver is an insane jerk and giving them the bird, you give them the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe they didn’t see you or maybe they were late for a very important meeting or maybe they just made a mistake.  Why not just smile and let it go?  It is good for you to be nice in these situations. Being nice also means doing kind acts.  It means volunteering, donating and pitching in to make your home, neighborhood and community a better place. It means offering yourself to a cause that you believe to be worthwhile.  This might be something big like saving the environment or little like helping your spouse carry in the groceries.

Nice is such a small word, but it has big implications.  It takes a little time and effort, but it is all so incredibly worth it. How being nice is good for you, let me count the ways First, let me say, that I don’t mean to turn being nice into something selfish.  We should certainly strive to be nice for altruistic reasons alone, but knowing the personal benefits might motivate us to be nice a little more often.  That’s my intention here.

Here are ten ways that being nice is good for you:

1. Being nice leads people to like you
It is much easier to like someone that is nice.  We all want friends that are kind, giving and considerate.  We want and need people in our lives that support us and that will be there for us when we need them.  The old saying, “Be a friend to have a friend” really holds true and research shows that those with a greater social network are often happier, healthier and more productive!

2.  Kindness promotes confidence and optimism
Doing kind acts and being nice builds one’s confidence and optimism.  It just makes us feel good about ourselves when we do things for others.  Giving of ourselves to others builds up our positive self-image.  It also gives us a sense of hope.  We feel more powerful and in control when we make a positive difference in the life of another.

3.  Niceness makes you feel good about yourself
Haven’t you heard that it is better to give than to receive?!?  In fact, studies have shown that the giver usually has a bigger boost in positive emotions than the receiver!  Being kind and nice really is good for you.  It gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling all over.  Of course, these positive feelings carry over into all areas of your life causing a general improvement in well-being.  This translates into feeling good about yourself.  What a bonus!

4. People will reciprocate in your time of need
From time-to-time, we all face challenges, disappointments and losses in our lives.  When you’ve been nice to others during their struggles, it is more likely they will return the favor during your time of need.  This is just human nature.  Most of us feel really motivated to help those that have helped us.  Stephen Covey described this as the emotional bank account.

5.  Doing good deeds adds meaning and significance to your life When you donate money to further a good cause or volunteer your time to help build a house for an underprivileged family or go visit a friend in the hospital, your life suddenly becomes much more meaningful and significant.  You are making this world a slightly better place with your acts of kindness.  This is valuable and it makes us feel important which is something we all want.

6.  Being a volunteer can help you discover hidden talents
Volunteering is a great way to be nice.  It can also help you to uncover talents you didn’t know you had.  They say that necessity is the mother of invention.  Well, when you put yourself in a position to see the needs of others, you might rise to the occasion and discover capabilities that you never knew you had.  This can be fun and exciting!

7.  Being a do-gooder relieves stress and guilt
Being nice and doing good deeds is a less stressful way to live.  It creates less conflict and avoids feelings of guilt over bad behavior.  In addition, the act of doing something nice for another generates those great feelings that seem to trump all that stress that we build up from daily living.

8.  Helping others will make you feel thankful and advantaged
When we engage in assisting others in their time of need, we often walk away feeling better about our situation.  We naturally compare our lives to those that we are helping.  This comparison can leave you feeling more grateful for the life you have.  You’ll be able to see just how advantaged you are!

9.  Being nice fosters a greater sense of family and community
Your niceness will lead you to meet all kinds of people and get involved in a plethora of worthwhile activities.  This builds a greater sense of togetherness.  Even within your own family unit, you can foster an increased sense of connectedness and fondness toward one another by being extra thoughtful.  Being nice has a powerful effect!

10.  Engaging in generous acts distracts you from your own troubles
Doing nice things for others can serve as a useful distraction from the the challenges you face.  If you are trying to quit a bad habit, then generously engage yourself in helping others to keep your mind off of smoking or eating or biting your nails.  This is an excellent strategy that profits you and others!

Go be nice and you’ll experience many positive benefits!
As you can see from the list above, being nice has many benefits.  Wouldn’t the world be such a better place if we were all just a little nicer today?  We would all feel so much better about one another and ourselves too!  I challenge you to increase your effort at being nice and see for yourself what it does for your attitude and happiness.

This article first appeared on the Blog My Supercharged Life
It has been re-printed in full.