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.

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

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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Being kind is so easy and it requires so little effort. Challenge yourself and choose an idea from this list, and put it into action, you’ll be glad you did.

• 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.

If you have an idea you would like to share with us, please email them to us using the form below…

Thank you,
The One Kind Act Team

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Random acts of kindness are things we do for others for no other reason than to be kind, helpful and nice! They are best done with no fan fair and no praise is needed nor expected.

The first time I ever heard of such a thing was from my neighbor, Jodi. We were talking one day not to long ago and she told me of an experience that she called “Random Acts of Kindness”.

Many of us will go out of our way for family or a good friend. It seems more and more in our rush rush dash to get everything done we neglect to show kindness to ourselves much less strangers. (ie road rage, flipping off people or honking long and loud when someone sits at a green light, etc)

If a friend or relative got sick we might be willing to go to their house take soup or cookies, maybe even water or feed their plants or animals while they were gone. We know then, we feel generous and we are in our comfort zone. We know they will appreciate it and do the same in kind when we need them, right!?

This is RANDOM ACTS, I am speaking of here. You do it not knowing the person or expecting Thank you’s or praises. If given you don’t stick around and gloat in the attention but say thank you and move on.

It shouldn’t be planned, and you should try not to be found out.

For instance;

You are in the bank waiting to make a transaction. An older person comes in not real steady on their feet and you let them take your place and move to the back of the line. Or you just give someone you spot just out of kindness because they have their hands really full, or just simply to be nice.

You are waiting for a parking place up close and it is about to become available.Then you see a woman with a small child also looking or maybe the handicap spots are taken up and you allow a handicaped person to have your nice close spot. It might mean that you have to make a few more circles around the lot, but what did it hurt?

Your co-worker is having a really bad day. You go at break and bring them back something with out them asking. Or you pick up a flower during lunch break and place it on their desk.(Don’t expect any money for the offering)

You can leave a batch of homemade cookies and a small note saying; Have a nice day, welcome to the neighborhood, hope you feel better soon, Or leave a card.

The whole point is to help others and to share a smile, assist someone with a hard day or just be nice for once. It hurts you not at all and will actually make you feel better! I have found that through these random acts, even when I am having a bad day that somehow I feel better inside just in the doing.

I challenge you to find your own kind of Random Acts and put them in force if not everday at least once in awhile. Watch how it brightens someone else’s day. Watch how you feel just a little lighter too!

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

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.

“How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it!”
~ George Elliston

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
~ Mark Twain

It is naïve to think there is never a time when force will be required or when legitimate power has to exert itself. Parents do have to use their authority in order to civilize and nurture unruly adolescents. Bosses sometimes have to fire people who are working against the company’s policies and best interests.

Generally speaking, however, the power of human kindness is a superior form of power to brute force. An attempt to lead by persuasion should always go before the last-ditch requirement of confrontation and pulling rank.

Gail Halvorsen was taught these ideas about kindness, service to others, and the like back in Sunday School as a boy. Now a retired colonel of the U.S. Air Force, he never tires of telling about a situation where putting his convictions to work helped change the course of history. It helped turn an enemy into an ally.

Halvorsen was a pilot in Europe during and after World War II. In post-war Germany, he was on the ground in Berlin. Some of the many hungry children in the once-prosperous Germany that Adolf Hitler had reduced to penury flocked around him and his buddies to ask for food. They were hungry. They were begging for a scrap or bread or a handout from the soldiers’ rations.

Turn an enemy into a friend and heal an old wound!

Halvorsen didn’t have any food for the group of about 30 kids. He had two sticks of gum in his pocket. He handed them to a couple of the children — and had a bright idea. The next time he dropped food into the Soviet-blockaded area of Berlin, he dropped gum and candy out for the children as well. When word got back to his superiors of what he and now other pilots were doing, there was a chewing out for their “unauthorized activities.” But one general defended what the pilots were doing. He encouraged them to keep it up. And soon American candy companies were providing chocolate bars and chewing gum by the tons.

As Halvorsen puts it, “It wasn’t the chocolate. It was hope!” Little children and their beleaguered parents were encouraged to believe that things would someday be better for them. Historians of the period have credited the candy drops for helping change the attitudes of the German people toward their recent enemies in war. The same non-government program is also credited with altering American attitudes toward the German people.

Maybe there are children for you to help in your neighborhood, through your company’s involvement in the larger community, or in some ministry of your church. Maybe the people to think about aren’t even children. Maybe there is just someone who needs an act of positive kindness that you can provide. There are certainly no guaranteed outcomes, but it probably won’t do harm to be gracious.

It could even turn an enemy into a friend or heal an old wound. Sweet!

I myself have gained much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because your kindness has so often refreshed the hearts of God’s people (Philemon 1:7 NLT).

This article has been re-printed with permission. It first appeared at www.heartlight.org. Heartlight exists to provide resources for positive Christian living in today’s world.

A simple play on words, a negative turned positive and a movement is sparked. “Today I will commit one random act of senseless kindness.” This simple phrase has launched an international movement inspiring people to practice kindness and to “pass it on” to others. It spawned bumper stickers, T-shirts, books, a foundation. There are now even designated Random Acts of Kindness Weeks and World Kindness Days.

While pondering an assignment for his human relations class at Bakersfield College, Chuck Wall overheard the radio news, “We have another random act of senseless violence to report.” He took out the “violence” and stuck in “kindness” and gave his class their assignment. Revolutions come from just such flashes of inspiration and Wall’s students became kindness revolutionaries.

Kindness is contagious. A smile begets a smile, simple courtesies encourage politeness, and a thoughtful gesture lingers in the heart. It feels good to do good and doing good deeds make others feel good. And so it goes, one good turn deserves another, and kindness becomes a way of life. Kindness is fundamental to life and it is essential in creating healthy, happy human relationships. We all need to be shown kindness and we all need to express it. Acts of kindness connect us to one another. It gives us hope in humanity.

Whether random or well planned out and articulated, acts of kindness have a domino affect in creating a better world. Generosity of spirit is just as important as monetary contributions. Sincere acts of kindness are almost always appreciated, even if there is no acknowledgment. For true kindness is unconditional with no thought of reciprocation.

Kindness lingers. We may forget the words, or even the person, but we seldom forget the act, a door held open, a cookie from a neighbor, a word of encouragement when we are feeling blue. Try it today. Commit one random act of senseless kindness. Mow a neighbor’s lawn, let someone cut in line in front of you, hand out balloons for no reason, say something nice to everyone you meet. Chances are those that you touch today will “pass it on” to others. We can change the world, one smile at a time.

For more information visit Actsofkindness.org

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.