Are you generally a kind person?
Do you go around looking for opportunities for Random Acts of Kindness towards other people who also share this wonderful world with you?
It’s well documented that by being kind, you benefit yourself in many ways.
Every year we celebrate World Kindness Day on 13th November.
No matter what, you don’t need a special world kindness day to show kindness to others.
You can do so anytime.
Random acts of kindness are a wonderful way of making someone’s day – and not only their day, but yours too!
Kindness is contagious!
And it’s a truly win/win situation – the person you are being kind to benefits through your help whilst you feel good for having helped someone.
Ultimately, the world is a better place through your kindness.
Never underestimate the impact of a single act of kindness. I still remember, after many years, the time someone stopped and helped me after my car had broken down.
Since then, I have stopped on the road myself and helped stranded motorists a number of times. All because of that single act of kindness by a stranger, many years before.
Also, it is important to carry out your acts of kindness without expecting anything back.
So where do you begin?
To get you started, I have listed 31 ideas below – one for each day of the week.
Some of these are random and anonymous ideas. Also, most don’t need any cash outlay from you, just a desire to make a difference.
Put them into practice and also create your own.
31 Ideas for Random Acts of Kindness:-
- Send someone a hand written note of thanks.
- Make a card at home and send it to a friend for no reason.
- Buy a lottery ticket for a stranger.
- Put some coins in someone else’s parking meter (if the meter still takes coins!)
- Buy a coffee for the man on the high street selling The Big Issue magazine.
- Cut your neighbour’s hedge.
- Walk your friend’s dog.
- Give a compliment about your waiter / waitress to his / her manager.
- Send someone a small gift anonymously.
- Stop and help someone replace their flat tyre.
- Let someone jump the queue at the bank.
- Pay for the drinks on the next table at a café.
- Treat a friend to the movies for no reason.
- Give a huge tip to someone when they least expect it.
- Hold the train door open for someone rushing to get in.
- Give up your seat for someone, not just an elderly person.
- Write notes of appreciation at least once a week.
- Talk to a homeless person and have a “normal” conversation.
- Pick up some rubbish in the road which would otherwise be lying around.
- Compliment a work colleague for their excellence.
- Recommend a competitor to a potential client.
- Give another driver your parking spot.
- Give a piece of fruit to a delivery person.
- Help an elderly neighbour carry the rubbish out.
- Tell all your family members how much your appreciate them.
- Leave a copy of an interesting book on a train / bus.
- Buy an inspirational book for a friend.
- Send a thank you note to a person who has helped you in the distant past.
- Smile a lot.
- Pay the toll for the car behind you / food for the car behind you in a drive-away.
- Clean someone’s house (e.g. someone elderly, sick, mother with new baby).
Bonus idea – share this article with your friends and ask them to carry out some of the above random acts iof kindness. Let’s create a ripple of kindness!
Apply the above ideas in your life from today – and let me know how you get on with your random acts of kindness.
Do also share your own ideas about how you spread kindness in the world in the comments below.
What goes around is sure to come around – keep spreading kindness 🙂
Hi Arvind. It’s easier to be kind than not, and it makes people smile. I give a fair amount of time to supporting my clients and I’m always doing random healings for love. I still hold doors open and step aside for strangers. I’m never too busy to be polite. Have a great day, my friend.
Simon, I agree – its easier to be kind than not.
The question is what stops us from being kinder to others?!
I guess it is to do with our own insecurities, ego and perhaps lack of abundance thinking. I can see a whole new article coming soon!
On a personal note, I benefited greatly from your kind offer of free distant healing a month ago. So thank you again, my friend:-)
Hi Arvind. We live in a world where people are surprised by kindness. I’m with you and Simon here and only want to live a kind life.
Tess, so true!
People are usually surprised and sometime unbelieving when I show them even some “small” kindness.
Kindness is clearly not common – otherwise we would not even need a World Kindness Day!
Hi Arvind,
I’m in the naturally kind group with you, Tess, and Simon..
I give with no expectation..and my life is extremely magical..I know there is a connection..
Joy, I definitely include you in the “kind” group!
So that’s at least four of us now:-)
But I do believe that ultimately we are all kind and good hearted – we are either just not able, willing or allowed to show this side.
Love these tips!!
I tend to utilize the “give a compliment to a server’s manager”….and I do it with store staff who give excellent service.
I bought the newspaper for an elderly man who had a few of them in his hand and was behind me in line at the store.
I ALWAYS let people go ahead of me in line….it is fun to do this EVERY DAY not just on “World Kindness Day”…..I did love this post though Arvind!
Caren, welcome to my blog and thanks for sharing your tips.
It must be wonderful for the people who serve you when you let their bosses know how much you appreciate their service!
And as you say, it’s fun to do kind acts every day and not just on some randomly chosen day:-)
Hi …
Easier and yet more difficult than all those mentioned ideas. I’ve tried and studied the reactions.
SMILE – Yip, just a SMILE!! When walking down the street or mulling in the mall, or waiting in that queue – Smile, a big one, a small one but a true one at the person next to you.
I know you have all heard this a trillion times before, but be utterly SELFish and do it for yourself. For your own pleasure and fulfillment.
LilacAlways, welcome to my blog and thanks for sharing your big tip – SMILE:-)
And I agree with you – do things for others for yourself. Simply by being kind to others, you are actually being very kind to yourself!
I like to just buy small gifts and give them to friends even if there are no special occasions. Even if u dun receive anything back it still pays to be kind. It gives you a warm fuzzy feeling, increases your self worth, and who knows when you need something in the future, they might reciprocate.
Henway, as you say, even if you don’t receive anything back, it stills pays to be kind.
Indeed, you should carry out kind deeds without any expectation of getting something back.
That warm fuzzy feeling makes it all worthwhile anyway:-)
“Give another driver your parking spot.”
I love this one. I never thought of that. I going to do that next time. Thanks great post.
Happy parking, Jonathan!
Or in your case, happy searching for other parking spaces:-)
I will never forget a kindness my best friend did for me. I used to work outdoors with animals, and one day I had had a really hard day working outside in the pooring rain. My best friend picked me up in her car to save me catching the bus, drove me to her house, ran me a scented bath and told me to relax until she had finished cooking my dinner! She had even visited my home and collected clean clothes and a book from my husband!
It absolutely turned the day around and I have never forgotten it!
Welcome to my blog dinkydivas (Holly).
Wow, you have one amazingly kind friend! As you said, you will never forget this act of kindness.
Just shows what’s possible to do for others when we decide to show our love and caring in a way that would be appropriate and much needed.
And the best thing is that by sharing the story of your friend’s kindness, you have both inspired other readers here to do the same for their friends.
I am hoping some of my friends will read this soon:-)
Arvind,
Great post! Making a conscious effort to be kind and friendly can really improve the well-being of outselves and others. I have recently made effort to be particularly kind to one person each day. It really makes a difference in my own contentment as well. Thanks for the tips. There are some real simple things we can do such as smiling and simply complimenting others. No matter who we are, these things can be done.
Joe, great that you are making a conscious effort to be particularly kind to one person each day.
As you say, there are some really simple things we can all do such as smiling and simply complimenting others:-)
Arvind,
Very nice list of kindness acts you have here.
One of my favorites on your list that I have
never thought about before is #3, buy a lottery
ticket for a stranger (I have a vision of a homeless
person being the ideal recipient).
In my life, I have found that kindness breeds more
kindness whether you witness it or are an active party.
Especially when you give of your resources.
Also there is a teenie weenie little unwritten
law of the universe that says when you authentically
offer and give with love, it comes back to you
times seven.
Thanks again Arvind….Stay growing.
Kevin
Welcome to my blog Kevin.
I can just visualise all these people out there buying lottery tickets for homeless people!
Kindness definitely breeds more kindness, even if you are just a passive observer. And especially so when you share your own resources or expertise.
And thanks for sharing that law of the universe – “when you authentically offer and give with love, it comes back to you times seven”. I love it!
Happy Pomethean Living, Kevin:-)
Brill list Arvind, you know kindness. It reminds me from my youth of Haliborange – orange flavoured vitamin tablets you took one a day to keep you healthy and in peak condition. Why not offer a simple act of kindness in the same way? What you put out comes back to you ten fold, right? For me I like the simple but powerful offerings like, ‘hello’, ‘good morning’, ‘how are you?’ or a happy smile. Building kindness from the bottom up. Love the gentle energy in your post Arvind, a kind one :). Be well my friend.
Thanks Johns – that great feedback coming from a man like you who knows all about kindness.
“Building kindess from the bottom up” – brilliant way of putting it!
Wow-wow — you are just a constant source of inspiration my friend — keep the good love flowing always!!!
Thanks Satya – I am just following my role model – you:-)
Fantastic Post! I love random acts of kindness and enjoyed reading your 31 ideas of how to carry out such wonderful acts of kindness!
LOVE your new blog design! It looks great!
Thanks Aileen!
It takes so little for us to make someone’s else life that much easier.
And I am glad you like the new, clean look:)
Great work on the new design Arvind, and on this blog post. You’re showing innovation and determination in moving your blog forward, something which we can all take note of 🙂
Welcome to my blog Stuart, and thanks for all your kind words.
I wish you all the best on yuor own blogging and life journey.
Good luck with your acting career:-)
If we carry out acts of kindness, then we ourselves feel that we have more to give. It is important though to come from the right place – i.e. to expect nothing back except the joy of the act of giving.
Isn’t there some way to set up continual suggestions and see if we could get to a million? It would help keep people looking for more ways to be kind and so help set intentions of kindness then we could all help the world become a better place.
Helen, thanks for commenting here on my blog as well as on my Facebook wall so many times.
It’s so true that we should be kind without expecting anything back. The joy of giving should be enough:-)
As for creating a way of having a million suggestions for kindness and sending them out, I am about to create a website for sending out daily messages of Love!
That way we could actually create thousands of ideas for spreading messages of love and kindness in the world:-)
Thanks again Helen for all your support and kindness.
Blessings.
Brilliant Arvind. You know what they say about ideas in the air. We must have caught the same one!
Helen, either the ideas were in the air, or great minds think alike:-)
Arvind,
I like these 31 ways to spread kindness! Being thankful is also helpful to improve our lives. Keep rocking!
I love the new look of the blog, pretty cool indeed! Congratulations!
Welcome back here Preeti (ZenGirl)!
Thanks for all your kind words – and glad you like the new look. The official launch party will be announced soon:-)
Arvind,
I had been here, just have been having problems that my comments either getting deleted or ending up in spam, I hope it is back to normal.
Preeti, this comment came through fine so it might be sorted now:-)
I too love the new design and this post. I felt aware while reading that I must do much more to be kind. I like the idea of the anonymous kindnesses and the unexpected ones. Today I will see if I can let lots of drivers out in front of me at the roundabout… and smile at them… it’s a start!
Linda, that’s a great idea to allow more drivers to come in front of you.
I usually let other drivers in at every opportunity – it makes them feel good and usually eases traffic anyway, so I win too. Also it makes me feel good too:-)
Recently a friend who was travelling with me commented about this and was converted to my way of being, when I explained why I kept letting other drivers in. It may add say 10 seconds to my journey time, but the return in kindess and feel good factor is immeasureable.
And thanks Linda for the feedback re my new design:-)
The Dalai Lama says his religion is kindness.
When my children were younger, I encouraged them to be kind by playing the kindness game. We would each look for opportunities to be kind throughout the day. Each kind act was worth one point. A kind act toward a family member got two points. (We are often the most unkind to those closest to us.) At dinner we would talk about the kind things we did. No prizes–just a friendly and inspiring competition.
We learned that actively seeking opportunities to be kind put us in a “kind” frame of mind. We were happier, and, yes, kinder people.
Another cool thing about kindness is that you can fake it till you make it. Doing a kind act, even insincerely, will soften the heart and generate genuine kindness in time.
Galen, I love what the Dalai Lama has said about kindness and how it is his religion.
Thanks for sharing about your family’s game of kindness – what a wonderful idea!
Fake being kind till you make it – I have recently been trying this with a problematic neighbour and I can already feel my attitude changing towards him. Conversely he too is more friendly now:-)
Hi Arvind,
I think having lots of ideas for acts of kindness is very helpful! I do take issue with buying a lottery ticket for a stranger though – the lottery isn’t the lighthearted chance at life’s dream that it’s made out to be.
See my blog post https://minimalistmum.blogspot.com/2010/10/youve-got-to-be-in-to-win-your-odds-in.html
Jess, point taken.
I know how a lot of peope fantasise and seriously speculate about their future every week based on the outcome of the lottery draw.
Love the list Arvind. Thank u for sharing. And such a beautiful concept, ‘random act of kindness’, Random, which makes it all the more meaningful!! Lovely
Thanks for your kind words, Uzma and welcome to my blog:-)
Wishing you many experiences of random kindness.
Love and blessings
Arvind
What can I say? I like you more and more. 🙂 Just my kind of post. This is one of my favorite pastimes with my son. We just decide to take up sheets of paper and list ways to be nice. And the things he comes up with….I am blessed.
I love the list obviously. And can add hundreds to it 😀
Thank you very much. Random acts of kindness are the best actions. And in the end, ONLY kindness matters!
Vidya, great minds and hearts clearly think alike:-)
Yes, kindness is all that matters. But to be kind, one requires to come from a place of love. Kindness is a manifestation of love in action
So really, love is all that matters.
I go out of my way to help people every day (because I want our three adopted kids to see this as part of daily living). I also blog daily planting a seed for a kinder, gentler world (please visit http:Dr-Rhia.com/blog and share as much as possible…thanks). My latest venture is translating Dr. Phil’s Life Strategies for the elementary level by turning each into an African adventure-fable (a chapter book that stands on its own) for 3rd-5th graders. Please help spread the word. Thanks. Rhia
Dr Rhia, welcome to my blog!
You are clearly doing so much to spread kindness in the world – and you are setting such a fine example for your three adopted kids.
Please keep up the great work – the world needs more people like you…:-)
Arvand: I’ve just read more of your work and am glad to have found you. Please would you visit my blog sometime too. I have a question for you; how do you find people to follow you who are of like mind? I need a bit of help 🙂
Thanks
Rhia
Hi again, Dr Rhia – and thanks for your kind words.
As for finding people to follow you who are of like mind, there are a number of things you can do. Let talk via email and I can share some ideas with you:-).
Hi Arvind,
I am working on a project where we have to gather real and interesting stories of kindness. Your blog seems fascinating, would like to get in touch with you personally.
Please let me know if that is possible. You can get in touch with me on
tanya.baweja@mccann.com
Thank you