• 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 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/

In the quest to create a gentler, more loving world, kindness is the easiest tool we can use. Though it is easy to overlook opportunities to be kind, our lives are replete with situations in which we can be helpful, considerate, thoughtful, and friendly to loved ones and associates, as well as strangers. The touching, selfless acts of kindness that have the most profoundly uplifting effects are often the simplest: a word of praise, a gentle touch, a helping hand, a gesture of courtesy, or a smile. Such small kindnesses represent an unconditional, unrestricted form of love that we are free to give or withhold at will. When you give the gift of kindness, whether in the form of assistance, concern, or friendliness, your actions create a beacon of happiness and hope that warms people’s hearts.

The components of kindness are compassion, respect, and generosity. Put simply, kindness is the conscious act of engaging others in a positive way without asking whether those individuals deserve to be treated kindly. All living beings thrive on kindness. A single, sincere compliment can turn a person’s entire world around. Holding a door or thanking someone who has held a door for you can inspire others to practice politeness and make already kind individuals feel good about their efforts. Smiling at people you meet-even those who make you feel like frowning-can turn a dreary encounter into a delightful one, for both of you. Every kind act has a positive influence on the individual who has performed said act as well as on the recipient, regardless of whether the act is acknowledged. Kindness brings about more kindness and slowly but surely takes a positive toll on humanity.

Weaving the thread of kindness into your everyday life can be as easy as choosing to offer a hearty “Good morning” and “Good night” to your coworkers or neighbors, a stranger on the street, or the grocery store clerk. When you commit a kind act, you are momentarily disconnected from your ego and bonded with the individual who has benefited from your kindness. Being fully present in each moment of your life facilitates kindness as it increases your awareness of the people around you. You’ll discover that each act of kindness you engage in makes the world, in some small way, a better place.

About this Article
Reprinted with permission from DailyOM.com – Inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day. Register for free @www.dailyom.com © 2004-2011 DailyOM – All Rights Reserved.

Kindness and Intention

Dr. Wayne Dyer in his book, the Power of Intention, names seven faces of intention. They are, in no particular order,

1. Love
2. Creativity
3. Beauty
4. Expansion
5. Unlimited Abundance
6. Receptivity
7. And Kindness

Kindness, Dyer deduces, is an innate power of intention because anything that has the capability to create must be kind. If it were unkind, it would destroy itself. Intention, as Dyer and many other spiritual and success experts have concluded, is an energetic power. When you’re able to access this power, you can use it to create anything in your life you want – anything you intend.

People access the power of intention through verbal or written statements, for example, “I intend to launch a new product this year,” through vision boards, and through quiet prayer. However, to amplify this power, one must embrace and be the seven faces of intention, including kindness.

When you’re unkind, you block the power of intention and move away from what you want most. When you are kind and embrace kindness, you welcome the power of intention and move closer to your heart’s desire.

Kindness and Attraction

The law of attraction is another energetic law, much like intention. The law of attraction has a number of definitions. However, one that is strongly held to be true is that your thoughts and beliefs dictate your reality. What you think and believe therefore will be true. If you believe everyone is out to get you then they will be and if you believe everyone is kind then they will be.

Whether or not this is completely true, you cannot argue with the fact that if you are kind and put out kindness both in your thoughts, beliefs and actions, you receive kindness in return. In fact, in the very popular book, The Secret, they discuss the fact that positive energy is much more powerful than negative energy and when you put out positive energy like kindness, you receive it tenfold back. Think about what that kind of energy could do for your business!

Kindness and Reciprocity

Reciprocity is the tendency people have to reciprocate or give back. It’s often used in business to generate leads or sales. For example, a business may give away a book to motivate purchases and generate sales. However, reciprocity also works with kindness. When you perform an act of kindness, the person on the receiving end of the kindness and those who witness it tend to reciprocate by passing along the kindness to others. The kindness spreads. And of course, people are kind to you in return.

When you’re kind to others, you receive kindness in return and you spread the kindness around the world. Consider the difference to your day between someone cutting you off and someone making room to let you merge into traffic. One motivates you to smile and wave, and probably reciprocate the kindness by letting someone else into traffic; the other may motivate you to offer a different hand gesture and a feeling of anger and defensiveness – not much fun for anyone.

Kindness and Better Health

Stress is a fact of life for most. It’s a human coping mechanism; our bodies were designed for it. Some stress keeps us alive and protects us from harm. Other stress, stress we manifest in our mind like the stress when something doesn’t go the way we expect it to, has a detrimental effect on our body. Our immune system is compromised, or organs age and we suffer diabetes, cancer, weight gain, insomnia and so on. It’s not very pretty.

Kindness is the cure. In a study reported by ABC news on Women and Depression serotonin levels are increased when a person is kind or receives kindness. “Serotonin is not only a neurotransmitter allowing brain cells to talk to each other, but also a buffer against stress.”

People who volunteer and who are generally kind in nature, often performing random acts of kindness, have higher serotonin levels. However, people who are recipients of kindness and who witness acts of kindness also receive a boost in serotonin. Serotonin is an endorphin that not only protects against depression; it strengthens your immune system and provides a ‘feel good’ effect.

The end result? When you’re kind and surround yourself with kind people, you not only live a happier, healthier and less stressful life, you receive abundance. Kindness enables you to maximize your powers of intention and attraction. You’re surrounding yourself with positive energy, which in turn attracts more positive energy. You have better customers, better partnerships, better working relationships, better personal relationships too, better experiences in and out of business and ultimately more profits and success.

There’s no lose here. When you’re kind, everyone benefits in myriad ways. The universe gives back, people give back and your own body gives back with increased serotonin. Kindness helps you embrace intention to create the life you desire. Kindness attracts more kindness and abundance. Kindness encourages reciprocity. And kindness improves your health and peace of mind.

Your next step….
Do something kind. Hold open a door for a mom with her arms full. Let someone merge into traffic ahead of you even though they may not deserve it and you may be in a hurry. Lend a helping hand to someone in need. Give someone a compliment. Share a smile with a stranger. The opportunities for kindness are limitless. And when you change your thoughts from negative to positive, from unkind to kind, your entire world changes.

Make kindness a habit. Practice kindness every day. When you feel an unkind thought or action bubbling up inside you, kick it aside and replace it with a kind, or at least a neutral, thought. For example, if someone cuts you off in traffic instead of cursing them out, you can consider the fact that maybe they honestly didn’t see you or they’re having a really difficult day. Have compassion and understanding. Soon you’ll find that kindness is your default. That’s when the real fun begins!

About The Author:

Jeremy Gislason is the owner of SureFireWealth Inc and the publisher of the self improvement series at http://www.mindmaptoriches.com. His book “Mindmap to riches” will boost your self-confidence and get you thinking with a positive attitude daily.

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

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

• “The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him, his own. ”
  ~ Benjamin Disraeli

As life dragged on after her best friend Lynda Drabek’s funeral, Charlene Moser took a novel approach to keeping the pain at bay: She carried out small acts of kindness. The good deeds she chose”paying for the drive-thru customer behind her, for instance”were things Lynda, a lifelong altruist, had done. “She would go through her address book, pick someone at random and write a card to them”no occasion, just because,” Moser recalls.

At first, being the Good Samaritan wasn’t easy. Both recipients and intermediaries”the drive-thru cashiers, for instance”were suspicious of her motives. Still, any resistance paled compared to the satisfaction Moser felt when someone smiled or thanked her for her efforts.

Literature, religions and fairy tales all trumpet the message that kindness will change our lives for the better”think of a transformed Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. But is this message just a sugar-coated platitude, or can altruism really create lasting satisfaction?

Last year, Stanford University psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky decided to put the kindness-fulfillment connection to the test. She asked students to carry out five weekly “random acts of kindness” of their choice, anything from buying a Big Mac for a homeless person to helping a younger sibling with schoolwork.

Her results indicate the Scrooge effect is no myth. The students reported higher levels of happiness than a control group, with students who performed all five kind acts in one day reaping the biggest rewards by the end of the six-week study period. Previous studies have found that altruistic people tend to be happy, but Lyubomirsky’s was the first to establish that good deeds are actually the direct cause of an increase in well-being.

Why is being generous such a mood-booster? While hard-and-fast answers are elusive, the main reason is that it gives people a strong sense they’re doing something that matters. “There are a lot of positive social consequences to being kind”other people appreciate you, they’re grateful and they might reciprocate,” Lyubomirsky says. All of these responses, she adds, are likely to make your happiness cup run over. In another study, she found that people who felt most strongly that others appreciated their efforts reported the biggest boost.

New Jersey rabbi Shmuel Greenbaum can testify to the ways kind acts reshape the self-image. After his wife, Shoshana, was killed by a suicide bomber in Israel in 2001, Greenbaum decided to respond by carrying out small acts of kindness each dayand gradually felt his anger and apathy dissolve, replaced by a strong sense of purpose. “Being kind helps you feel in control,” Greenbaum says. “By doing a good deed, you’re saying, ‘Here’s something I can do to change the world.’ ”

Of course, real-world kindness bears little resemblance to sunshine-and-lollipops cliches. For starters, not all good deeds promise equal returns. Passing out smiley-face stickers or leaving lucky pennies on the sidewalk may not yield fulfillment, according to Jonathan Haidt, a University of Virginia psychologist and author of The Happiness Hypothesis. Instead, he recommends choosing deeds that strengthen existing social ties, such as driving to visit your grandmother. “If you do a random act of kindness for a stranger and it’s a one-shot deal, there’s much less likelihood that you’re going to see any benefit,” he says. “It’s not the altruism per se that’s important. It’s really all about building relationships.”

Lyubomirsky’s work reveals another potential kindness pitfall: Like almost any other activity, being nice gets boring after a while. In a companion study, she found that participants who varied their acts of kindness”volunteering at a library one day and hosting a surprise party for a friend the next, for instance”reported bigger increases in mood than those who repeated the same act over and over. “You need variety or else it gets monotonous,” she says. “It becomes a chore, like doing the same run every day.” To experience kindness as a natural high rather than drudgery, she suggests brainstorming creative, unexpected good deeds, like surprising your nephew with a new Super Soaker or returning to your old high school to visit a teacher who inspired you.

It’s easy to resolve to be a kinder person, but translating intention into reality is another matter entirely. To make sure your commitment doesn’t weaken, Haidt advises using a marathoner’s strategy: partner up. “Try joining a volunteer outfit where you form ties. That’s easier to sustain than being a ‘kindness guerrilla’ working on your own.”

Though Charlene Moser started out as an underground altruist, she eventually broadened her vision, wanting others to share in the joy she felt from doing good deeds. Three years ago, she founded Lynda’s Legacy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging people to carry out acts of kindness. At last count, the society had distributed more than 10,000 “pay it forward” cards reminding people to incorporate something kind into their day. Says Moser: “I like to think the cards have resulted in thousands of kindnesses to people I will never know in places I will never see.”

Need a Nudge?

Try one of these small acts to start your own kindness campaign:

• Pay the toll of the driver behind you.
• Shovel your neighbor’s sidewalk after a snowstorm.
• Call or visit an older family member.
• Bake cookies for a neighbor.
• Give an extra-large tip.

The Kindness Test-Drive
Two Cynical Friends Take On The WorldKindness studies sound heart-warming, but are the results relevant to real life? To find out, I took on Lyubomirsky’s challenge, carrying out several acts of kindness in one day. I enlisted my friend Roshni, a born skeptic, to do the same.

I kicked off my day by writing a long letter to my middle-school French teacher. Though I haven’t spoken to her in a decade, I count her among my most inspiring role models, so I told her what she’s meant to me and gave her a run-down on some of my old classmates’ exploits. Penning the letter lifted my cynical spirits, especially since I’d long wanted to do it. However, feeding a vending machine so the next person would get a free snack just left me cold. Just as Jonathan Haidt predicted, the acts that gave me most satisfaction involved relationship-building and the possibility of reciprocation.

Roshni had a slightly different take. One of her favorite tasks was tossing treats to appreciative dogs tied to parking meters (“They were so happy and sweet!”). Donating her brunch leftovers to a group of Haight Street hippies didn’t give her the same happiness boost, since they expressed little gratitude and made suggestive comments instead. “Maybe I’m shallow,” she says, “but I liked getting recognition for my random acts, and the recognition I got was proportional to how happy they made me feel.”

This content is Copyright Sussex Publishers, LLC. 2006. This content is intended for personal use and may not be distributed or reproduced without the consent of Sussex Publishers, LLC. Reprinted with Permission To Learn More visit Psychology Today Magazine

When my youngest son was growing up, he went through this phase when he was about 9 years old or so, where he would do these Random Acts of Kindness and then he would say “I got you with a Random Act of Kindness” and he would run off laughing.  This was a game he loved to play.

My youngest son, always had a very generous nature.  We are Native American Indian and generosity is a prized virtue among our tribe and many tribes across the United States.  Our ancestors would save their best/most valuable items so that they could give it to someone else that needed it.   To horde stuff and not pass it along when someone else can use it, was something we didn’t understand.  Our belief is that life is a circle and when we give something away, something we need will come to us, and we’ll have room for it.  We’ll be ready to receive it.  It is the way the circle of life flows.

Perhaps, part of my son’s generous nature came from our culture beliefs, and family beliefs.  I think these beliefs just help to amplify his true generous spirit.

Four years ago I lost my son.  He was killed in a car accident.  This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with in my life.  But like many difficult things in life, there are hidden gifts that emerge when we are ready for them and open to them.  I had several gifts emerge through the loss of my son, that I never dreamed would happened.  One of the gifts that emerge for me occurred close to the time of my son’s first birthday after his death.  I was struggling with the fact that he would not be here in physical form to celebrate his birthday with his family.  I thought to myself that this was going to be a really hard day and how would I get through the day.

As I struggled with my son not being here for his birthday, I started to explore the various memories I had of my son.  When the memory of him playing this game of Random Act of Kindness emerged, the memory was so vivid and joyful, that I couldn’t let it go.  I could see my son performing some Random Act of Kindness (RAK) for someone and then saying to them “I got you with a Random Act of Kindness” and then he would run off laughing with great joy and pride at his accomplishment.  I was sudden filled with great joy as this memory played out in my mind.

Then, an idea popped in my mind (or perhaps was placed there – smile).  I thought it would be a good idea to perform a Random Act of Kindness for someone on my son’s birthday.  This would honor the memory of my son and help me to focus on something else besides grief and loss.  Maybe, I could even celebrate his life.

The more I thought about it, the more I was pulled to do a RAK.  I thought I should let my family and friends know about my idea and invite them to participate in the Random Act of Kindness day (my son’s birthday) as a way of honoring him and helping them to deal with their own grief and sense of loss him.

After letting my family and friends know about the RAK day, it was amazing to me how many of them embraced the idea and decided they would participate.  The guidelines that we use were these:

• Perform an unexpected Random Act of Kindness – it could be someone you know or a total stranger – your choice.
• It had to be an act that the person receiving it, would perceived as an act of kindness.  Something that holds meaning for them, not just you.  So, this also means not to give something that is mean less and useless to the person.  If you do this, you haven’t really given anything.  This is a hollow gesture.
• No strings attached to the RAK.  The RAK had to be given freely.  No expectation of receiving something in return.  The  RAK had to be given and done for sole purpose of freely performing/giving a kind act to someone.
• The RAK could be something small or something large.  It could be as simple as being loving and kind to someone who was in need of this (who couldn’t  use more of this).  It could be money that someone really needed.  It could a gift you made or bought.  It could be a phone call.  You might cook dinner for someone.  Go visit someone who needed their spirits lifted.  Clean someone’s house.  Go swimming, or hiking or a walk or a bike ride. The idea was for you to look around in your life/world and see what RAK you could do/give to someone.

I have done a variety of things for my RAK, but one year, I had bought a book on the internet and when the book arrived, it wasn’t what I was looking for.  When I contacted the seller, they gave me instructions on how to go about returning the book and how I would receive a refund.  I informed them that I didn’t want a refund, that I what I wanted instead, was for them to do a kind deed for someone else.  They couldn’t believe what I was saying and what I was doing, but in the end, they agreed not to give me my refund and to do a RAK for someone.

A few weeks later, I heard from the book seller.  They told me what kind deed they had chosen to do for a total stranger and they just wanted me to know they had done a kindness for someone and they seemed really happy about the whole RAK interaction they had experience.  I was glad and I wonder how far their RAK would rippled out to creation and I wonder if it is still moving today.  Hmmmmm.

I believe in doing service work and being generous.  What we do in life, ripples through out this great life.  It is like throwing a pebble in a pond and watching the waves from it ripple out.  The pebble is the act (hopefully a good and kind one) and the waves are the effects it has on life.  So, remember to be mindful of the pebbles you are throwing into your part of the pond.

I would like to invite anyone who is interested to participate this September 4th for a Random Act of Kindness day. You may have a loved one you have lost.  This would be a good way to honor their memory and to celebrate their life or you may want to do this for the pure joy of doing a Random Act Kindness.  I have always felt great joy and pleasure when performing a RAK.  I think you will to.

In the quest to create a gentler, more loving world, kindness is the easiest tool we can use. Though it is easy to overlook opportunities to be kind, our lives are replete with situations in which we can be helpful, considerate, thoughtful, and friendly to loved ones and associates, as well as strangers. The touching, selfless acts of kindness that have the most profoundly uplifting effects are often the simplest: a word of praise, a gentle touch, a helping hand, a gesture of courtesy, or a smile. Such small kindnesses represent an unconditional, unrestricted form of love that we are free to give or withhold at will. When you give the gift of kindness, whether in the form of assistance, concern, or friendliness, your actions create a beacon of happiness and hope that warms people’s hearts.

The components of kindness are compassion, respect, and generosity. Put simply, kindness is the conscious act of engaging others in a positive way without asking whether those individuals deserve to be treated kindly. All living beings thrive on kindness. A single, sincere compliment can turn a person’s entire world around. Holding a door or thanking someone who has held a door for you can inspire others to practice politeness and make already kind individuals feel good about their efforts. Smiling at people you meet—even those who make you feel like frowning—can turn a dreary encounter into a delightful one, for both of you. Every kind act has a positive influence on the individual who has performed said act as well as on the recipient, regardless of whether the act is acknowledged. Kindness brings about more kindness and slowly but surely takes a positive toll on humanity.

Weaving the thread of kindness into your everyday life can be as easy as choosing to offer a hearty “Good morning” and “Good night” to your coworkers or neighbors, a stranger on the street, or the grocery store clerk. When you commit a kind act, you are momentarily disconnected from your ego and bonded with the individual who has benefited from your kindness. Being fully present in each moment of your life facilitates kindness as it increases your awareness of the people around you. You’ll discover that each act of kindness you engage in makes the world, in some small way, a better place.

Reprinted with permission from DailyOM.com – Inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day. Register for free at www.dailyom.com © 2004-2010 DailyOM -All Rights Reserved.

My hubby took a brave journey and switched careers about five years back and went to medical school. He graduated this past spring and when he finished the finances, or lack there of, really began to be felt. We have kept on smiling because we know in the end it will all be worth it but that doesn’t change the fact that when you run out of money for food, you run out of money and nothing can change that. The other day at our local co-op I went to purchase a few items (dried figs, bananas,apples…) to help sustain us for the rest of the week. I had only a little bit of money leftover from the remainder of the week’s food budget and knew I had to really choose what I NEEDED. Well, as usual, I didn’t have enough money to purchase all the things I had placed on the counter. I told the cashier which items I would purchase and which ones I needed to put back.

The woman behind us smiled and talked with my kids and after I paid told me she wanted to buy the head of garlic I had chosen not to buy. This touched me so greatly. I was going to use it for three dinners and to give a few cloves to one of our very sick dogs. I thanked her several times and walked outside, tears welling. That act of kindness might have been little but it helped me and my family stay healthy for yet another week. She probably has no idea what she did but it goes to show that any little thing we do can have a very BIG impact.

About three years ago I was advised to google a name of a person if I wanted to know more about that person with whom I had lost contact over more than 25 years. The result of pushing a few buttons on my computer was amazing and overwhelming. My youth friend had become a surgeon and a tropical doctor who had chosen for a career with an organization called “Medical Checks for Children” and visited the poorest countries of our world. “Why is that so amazing?”, you might think. Well, when you sat in first grade of primary school, your teacher might have asked you what you want to become when you grow up. My friend who was 7 years of old said: “I want to become a doctor and go help people in development countries”. For myself, I was going to be a pilot and fly her to these countries. But then again, which boy doesn’t want to become a pilot, fireman or policeman?

If you have found a person on the internet, you may be able to read a lot about that person, but getting in touch with him/her is a totally different story. With some trouble I could get in touch with someone of “Medical Checks for Children” and ask if my old friend could contact me on my telephone number. It might not surprise you that I didn’t get any reaction, but the flame had caught within me and I really wanted to contact Karlien, because she happened to be the first love of my life as well. After more than a year and several e-mails, she responded to me and I thought: “Now we can get together again”. Unfortunately it didn’t turn out to be that easy. We had made two appointments to meet each other in March 2009. She had to cancel both appointments because of her work as a surgeon. Then I didn’t hear from her for months. Meanwhile I had written to a Dutch TV show called “memories”, this being the only TV show Karlien ever watches, if our story could be a story for them as well. In august I received an e-mail from Karlien which stated that she had made a pilgrimage by foot from the Netherlands to Santiago de Compostella in Spain. She had called it some kind of sabbatical. Again I was amazed and surprised with her actions. Maybe you can also imagine my surprise that the Dutch TV station indeed was interested in our story and wanted to interview me on the subject of doing a program with their show. Still it was my conviction that nothing would come out of it…

Until last January when suddenly the TV host of ‘memories’ with her cameraman and director stood in front of me at my work in Veghel. I was really flabbergasted and could hardly say a word. And that wasn’t all, she had an application for a visa up on her sleeve too. If I wanted to sign this form and go to Bangladesh! Of course I couldn’t refuse and two weeks later I sat on a plane to Dhaka. Everything had been planned beforehand and I fell into one surprise after the other. Bangladesh appears to be overpopulated and the traffic is worsening every day. Leaving Dhaka, there is less and less motorized traffic and what is even nicer, people are not used to tourists so they don’t hassle you to buy anything. Of course they are curious and want to ask you questions. Communication goes with hands and feet and a little English, but always very friendly and never imposing. The meeting with Karlien turned out to be heartwarming and very emotional. The camera couldn’t affect that and I was made a member of the team for a couple of days. Actually checking children in the middle of nowhere can be a very uplifting and energizing activity. In the evenings we evaluated our experiences with stating our highlights, low points and points of improvement, which again gave us positive energy although we all felt very tired after a hard days work too. My stay in Bangladesh was only for six days, but it felt more like six weeks if I look back at it. The TV show has been broadcasted on March 22nd and the reactions I’ve received were almost all positive.

What is the link with ‘An act of kindness’ ?, you might ask. Karlien has written a lot of articles too. One of them is about Kindness and she refers to the book: “Power of Kindness” by Piero Ferrucci. This is a marvelous book with very practical information about how kindness can work for you and the people around you. This book was also my link to your website.

With kind regards,
Paul van Hoek
The Netherlands