• “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

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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.

My husband and I were at a discount grocery store waiting in line. We were behind a mother and her boy who was probably about seven years old. She had a beautiful purple bouquet in her basket. The flowers brought a smile to my face. I remarked to the lady how lovely her flowers were and she said her son picked them out. He just beamed at the compliment so I asked if he would like to pick some out for me.

He was off like a shot down the aisle to pick out a bouquet for me. When he returned he was so obviously pleased at having done a two-fold good job:  picking out nice flowers and helping an “old lady.”

When I thanked him, he said a very loud and clear “You’re welcome.” So, by then Mama is beaming at her helpful polite son who feels great about doing a good deed. They’re feeling great and I’m feeling great about getting to be a part of this exchange.

But it didn’t end there. You see, among the whole line of people watching as they waited to check out was a woman I had overheard saying that she live alone.  As we were leaving the store a little voice inside said, “Give the flowers to that woman.”  In the parking lot I went up to her and explained that the little voice had said I was to give her the flowers.

In our brief exchange she said that she really couldn’t take the flowers but that the gesture was truly moving. She thanked me for the kind offer.

So, this bouquet touched the hearts of a mother and son, me and my husband, the line of shoppers and, our special stranger in the parking lot.  And my bonus?  I got to go home with the flowers!

The answer is an overwhelming “yes!” A number of scientific studies show that Acts of Kindness result in significant health benefits, both physical and mental, for those who perform them.

One of the most compelling studies of altruism was performed by Allan Luks and documented in his 1991 book, The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others. Luks is the former executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Health and executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City.

Luks’ study involved more than 3,000 volunteers of all ages at more than 20 organizations throughout the country. He sent a 17-question survey to these volunteers, asking them how they felt when they did a kind act. A total of 3,296 surveys were returned to Luks, and after a computerized analysis, he saw a clear cause-and-effect relationship between helping and good health. In a nutshell, Luks’ concluded, “Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and it can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders both serious and minor, psychological and physical.”

The volunteers in Luks’ study testified to feeling a rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, after performing a kind act. This feeling, which Luks calls “helper’s high,” involves physical sensations that strongly indicate a sharp reduction in stress and the release of the body’s natural painkillers, the endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.

This reduction in stress is vital to the health improvements reported by so many study volunteers. (In fact, more than 90 percent of Luks’ volunteers reported that regular volunteering produced feelings which are a powerful antidote to stress.) Why is stress reduction so important? Because stress can be the root cause of so many maladies, according to Hans Selye, a Hungarian physician who wrote a groundbreaking book called The Stress of Life in 1956.

In this book, Selye coined the term “stress,” describing it as a physiological response to external experiences and traumas. Stress causes a racing heart and increased breathing rate, and also sparks the adrenal glands to pump adrenaline into our bloodstream, giving us extra strength. In addition, corticosteroids — which are powerful hormones — and adrenaline work together to release fatty acids into the bloodstream, where they become energy for our muscles.

This arousal, if prolonged, shifts from a source of strength and energy into a cause of deterioration. For example, corticosteroids will, over a prolonged period, suppress immune-system functioning. Increased adrenaline and corticosteroids can aggravate diabetes. And as the adrenaline-produced fatty acids needed for energy stay in the blood, the liver converts them into cholesterol, which can lead to arteriosclerosis. A speeded-up heart rate, if prolonged, will increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.

In his book, Selye actually called for a new way of life that would reduce the negative effects of stress — a way of life he dubbed “altruistic egoism.” This way of life would require us to adopt behaviors that involve “the creation of feelings of accomplishment and security [in ourselves] through the inspiration in others of love, good will and gratitude for what we have done or are likely to do in the future.” Selye’s fundamental remedy was to do good for the self by making the effort to do good for others.

Selye’s findings on stress are cited by Luks because many of his study volunteers had stress-related health problems that improved after performing kind acts.

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I doubt if any child ever wanted to grow up to be a grouch, or thoughtless, or unkind, but it happens. Many a sweet child becomes the adult they never planned on. By consciously deciding to be a kinder, better, person and by taking some simple actions everyday, each one of us can be someone that child would be proud to be like when they grow up.
Read more: How to Be a Kinder Person

1. The Sun Always Rises
   Most people have probably heard about practicing random acts of kindness and about paying it forward, but unless you make kindness a priority, and work on being a kinder person everyday, your life will continue on in the same fashion it always has and you will have missed countless opportunities to help others, to ease someone’s troubles, or to make the world a better place. There are things you can do no matter who you are, where you live, or what your life circumstances are, to be a kinder person, so you really don’t have any excuses.
2. Smiling is powerful
   Everyday kindnesses are those little thoughtful acts that we all know we should do, but sometimes we just can’t be bothered. Maybe it seems like too much trouble to help your neighbor carry in her groceries or to stop along the freeway to help someone change a tire. The opportunity to help this person will never come again, and you are there for a reason, so go beyond your comfort zone, at least once each day and do something for someone else, just for the heck of it, with no expectations, no desire to be appreciated, and no money to be gained on your part. Another super easy kindness we can all do every single day is smile at the people we see, including our own families. Studies have shown the power of a smile to be far greater than previously thought. A genuine heartfelt smile has even saved a life or two, by giving someone who was suicidal hope and the courage to go on.
3. Helping Others
   If the thought of being kind to everyone and in every circumstance is a little overwhelming then start small. There is an organization that promotes the idea of doing one kind act per day. So, if you let someone go ahead of you in a busy line at the store for example, there’s your one kind act for the day and you’re done. One kind act a day adds up to 365 kind acts a year though, and there’s nothing small about that number.
4. Suggestions
   For some suggestions for doing some good in the world, through your daily acts of kindness, check out the web sites listed in the resources section below. There are some very interesting ways that people have figured out to be kind to someone else. For example many people have given a dollar to a homeless person, but what about the lady that carries small backpacks full of supplies for the homeless in her car everyday. The backpacks are full of things like toothpaste and toothbrushes, food that doesn’t need to be cooked, and socks. All valuable items for the homeless, and it doesn’t cost her much. She hands out the backpacks instead of money when she sees a homeless person.
5. Kind Words
   Kind words cost you nothing and many of us can really use some lessons concerning our unkind speaking habits. Practise speaking more positively to everyone you meet. Learn to speak more kindly to yourself also. That rude, judgmental, voice inside your own head is doing you a lot more harm than you realize. Turn it off and cultivate an inner voice that speaks to you in a kinder, gentler, fashion than you may be used to. You would probably be horrified if anyone else spoke to you so unkindly, so stop speaking to yourself that way.

Resources:

• Helping Others
• One Kind Act
• Dare To Be An Angel
• Extreme Kindness

Read more: How to Be a Kinder Person | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4437310_be-kinder-person.html#ixzz0yNIc9OdS

The following 13 meaningful ways to do community service online have been approved by We, The World (a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization), to qualify as community service credit.  All programs are documented online so that the person that assigned your service hours can actually see your work.  Upon completion of your service time, you will receive a stamped letter as well as a certificate of completion from We, The World.  Please verify with the person that assigned your service that you can receive credit for online service prior to starting.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact arlan@wetheworld.org.

13 Meaningful Ways To Do Community Service Online:

1) PIF Mentor:  After a 30 minute online chat, the protege is sent the online script with directions on how they may now be a PIF Mentor too if they wish. You will also receive a free web page on this site. To see a sample web page click HERE.   PIF Mentors that are doing community service will receive one hour credit for each complete mentoring session.  A complete mentoring session is as follows:

a) Arrange to do a 1/2 hour online chat with a friend, family member, co-worker, or anyone who wishes to learn their purpose, organize their passion, volunteer their gift and engage their heart.

b) Go to any online chat room and go through the 30 minute chat process.  This time, you will be the mentor and they will be your protege.

c) You must make a copy of the chat and send a copy to your protege as well as a copy to aunitedworld@gmail.com.  *Note* As soon as we have our new website www.pifmentor.org completed, this process will be done automatically.

d) Send a follow-up letter to your protege as well as a copy to aunitedworld@gmail.com.

2) PIF Research Director: After a 30 minute online chat, the community service provider contacts the charitable organizations (of interest to them) in their community and provides We, The World (WTW) with the nonprofit’s mission along with the volunteer coordinators name, phone number, email address and fax number.  In addition the community service provider will let the volunteer coordinator know that while they are doing research for WTW, they may also be interested in helping that organization online too.  Often, other charitable organizations may want to recognize their current and past volunteers by emailing certificates of appreciation that they can then download and hang on their wall.

If a community service provider is interested in this type of service, they will keep a chartshowing the time they initially contacted the nonprofit and the time they finished receiving all of the information.   To see the format for sending in research click HERE.

3) PIF Kindness Judge: After a 30 minute online chat, the community service provider researches people and organizations in their community that are Passing It Forward.  Passing It Forward is performing acts of kindness that do not involve money.  To see examples, go to PIF Programs.  WTW wants to highlight these heroic people and organizations on our website and we need your help.  As you can see from the examples, we are looking for people that are mentoring, creating their own videos about passing it forward, or want to start their own PIF Program based upon their purpose, passion, gift and mission.

If a community service provider is interested in this type of service, they will submit the stories to arlan@wetheworld.org.   A community service provider will be given 1/2 hour credit for each story published.

To see the format for sending in a story click HERE.  To see sample community service completion letter click HERE.

4) PIF Public Relations Developer: After a 30 minute online chat, the community service provider will receive a free web page on the www.aunitedworld.org site based upon their purpose, passion and gift and is encouraged to additionally go to www.neighborhoodlink.com and start their own neighborhood website for the zip code that they reside in and set up a free web page.  This online volunteer will become the LO.V.E. It Forward Ambassador, Pass It Forward Director and or We, The World Charity Consultant of their zip code!  It’s all FREE and the online volunteer can be their own administrator for their site!  See sample HERE.

5) Neighborhood Community Service Ambassador:  When you create a free web page on www.neighborhoodlink.com to promote the PIF Movement, you will receive 1/2 hour online credit.  Subsequently, every online discussion that you participate in (promoting PIF) anywhere on the web, you will receive community service credit as long as copies are sent to aunitedworld@gmail.com.

6) Community Service Online Promotion: This online volunteer can now promote their cause on many social networking sites such as Volunteer Match, Do Something, Create the Good, Facebook, and many more!  A community service provider will receive 1/2 hour credit for each new social networking site web page that they developed incorporating their their purpose, passion and gift while Passing It Forward.

7) Create Video’s and/or start your own Social Networking Sites:  Now you can Pass the L.O.V.E.  Forward by promoting your cause to help people, animals, environment, your school, cancer research, etc. Everyone has a gift, what’s yours?  Check out www.loveitforward.webs.com or www.drop.io/PIFMentor/media to more see samples.  For community service your time involved in creating videos and websites must be documented.  For more information, please contact aunitedworld@gmail.com.

Help PIF Create Online Questions to help improve a person’s self esteem and self confidence, we are asking community service providers to read articles of interest and then answer the questions pertaining to those articles.  Click HERE and choose a question # that is not bold. To see examples see the approved article questions.  We are currently looking for people to create the online questions for each article.  Also look at helping others build character by creating online exercises on self help & self improvement.  You will receive 20 minutes of credit for each new set of 7 questions created per article.

9) Answer Article Questions: Currently there are Judy Wright Articles and Everyday Articles, and Ezine articles that are approved for community service. You will receive 10-15 minutes of credit for each set of questions answered.  Or, you may wish to read articles about Creating a World Where People Act More Ethically and comment on what you read.  You will receive 10 minutes community service credit for each one completed.

10) Watch Video’s on the – Law of Attraction -  Building Self Esteem – Self Growth – 101 Power Affirmations -Human Emotions – 7 Habits – 7 Spiritual Laws – Dealing With You -Assertiveness – Momentum – Winners – Gender and answer questions.  You will receive 15 minutes of credit for each video.  Or you can watch the 43 Values Video’s, 20 Happiness Video’s, Get ur GOOD On Videos, and Self Esteem Online Community Service and comment on each one and send your comments to aunitedworld@gmail.com for community service credit.  You will be given 10 minutes credit for comments that prooved you watched the entire video.  If you can create 7 questions for these video’s you will receive 15 minutes of credit.

11) Search You Tube: We are in the process of creating online exercises to help build a persons self esteem and character.  If you have some online ideas for community service, we’d love to hear from you!  All exercises must be completed online.  Please submit all ideas to aunitedworld@gmail.com.

12) Transfer Pages To Our New Website: The new website will be the “My Space” or “Facebook” specifically for people and organizations that want to help and inspire others.  Our mission is for everyone to have the opportunity to have volunteer online PIF Mentors to help them L.O.V.E. It Forward and be able to pass their L.O.V.E. Forward. See sample of our new website.

13) Convert web pages to a different language: Now that the Pass It Forward Movement is in 191 countries, we are looking for bi-lingual community service providers to convert PIF pages to different languages.  Currently, you will notice if you place your mouse over a word, you will be able to see that word in multiple languages.  If you are bi-lingual, please send an email to aunitedworld@gmail.comto discuss this further.

This article has been reprinted with express permission of onekindgame.org, 2010.

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.

One Kind Act Calls for Submissions

One Kind Act is now accepting submissions for its first anthology. One Kind Act is a social movement aimed at making lives happier and more fulfilling while making the world a better place … One Kind Act at a time.

Life is all about interacting. We forget that as we speed past other people in shiny boxes on the highway, or buy our morning coffee from a stranger in a window, or pump gas next to five other people never lifting our heads to see who they are.

But when we choose to notice the people around us and we act with kindness, we cause a chain reaction. A smile in the grocery store. An open door for a mother struggling with a baby carriage. A double batch of soup so there is extra for a neighbor. When we give and receive these gifts, we realize it really is the small things that matter.

We at One Kind Act have heard a lot of your stories and now we want to anthologize them to inspire and motivate others. We are looking for stories of both givers and recipients of Kind Acts. They may be with strangers, family members, or friends in private or professional settings. Don’t think your story isn’t what we’re looking for. If a Kind Act popped into your head, send it to us. And tell your friends. The more diverse, the merrier.

Guidelines

• Nonfiction stories and essays can be between 200 – 2000 words in length.
• Please submit your stories electronically as an attachment (word or pdf format) or in the body of your email to stories@onekindact.com. Subject line: “Anthology.”
• You may submit anonymously. However, if you would like to be credited, please include you name, city, state, country, age, profession, or any other pertinent details you would like us to include. Limit is a 65-70 word bio. Inclusions of web address will be considered.

Other Details

• You retain all rights to your work. We just need one-time and electronic reprint rights.
• Will reserve the right to edit your story for consistency, grammar, and spelling.
• You may submit as many stories as you like for consideration. Please send individual submissions separately.
• Deadline for submissions is midnight February 12, 2010. You will be informed by the end of February if your story will be included in the anthology.
• Publication is anticipated mid 2010.

Stay up-to-date about the anthology’s progress at: www.onekindact.com

The Bottom Line
Publishing this anthology is a labor of love for One Kind Act. Hence, we can not pay for contributions. However we will actively promote the anthology and your writing.

*A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to fund One Kind Act.Com to keep the website up and running, as well as,  funding  random acts of kindness.

Thank you for considering a submission.

About the Editors

Matthew Costello is an e-commerce guru and CEO of Web Marketing Advisors, a strategic marketing and business development firm. Matthew is also the founder of One Kind Act, a social movement designed to change the world by motivating others to leap in and really live, just One Kind Act at a time. He is dedicated to helping people focus on kindness and energize their lives. In addition to One Kind Act.Com, he also owns and operates The Winning Attitude.com, a site dedicated to motivation, inspiration, and more.

Julie Luongo is the author of The Hard Way (Forge, 2008), her debut novel, which was met with unanimous critical praise. She holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Temple University and a Bachelor’s from Penn State in Advertising. She is a former writing instructor, editor, and playwright. She always thanks cashiers; waves people through in traffic, and sometimes even smiles at strangers. In addition Julie played a large role in the creation of One Kind Act.Com and continues to do so.

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