Kindness starts from within, is shared with others, and for a brief moment binds you both with the uniquely human emotion of pure compassion. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot more about kindness, its importance, and how making it a habit can inspire kindness in those around me. Cynicism and selfishness reside in all of us and can easily become our guiding light if not properly tamed. Maybe I wasn’t always the nicest person in the past. There have certainly been times when I have been quick to judge others, allowing myself to slip into thinking negatively about a situation.
But kindness is much more important than I realized.
Kindness is important for many reasons, for example, it can improve your mental health not to mention it may allow you to live longer. However, it’s the simple things about kindness that make it so powerful, and in my experience, being kind without expecting anything in return is the most powerful and effective use of kindness. So often people don’t expect it, especially when an act of kindness comes out of the blue.
Volunteering to carry something for someone or give them an unexpected gift can make someone’s day, make their week, and even restore their faith in their fellow man. Kindness is underrated and underutilized and is probably the most powerful thing we can be, in my opinion. No act of kindness is small. Every act of kindness has the potential to continue to ripple. In the same way that negativity can become infectious and spread, so can compassion.
“Remember that there is no such thing as a small act of kindness. Each act creates a ripple with no logical end.”
Scott Adams
It’s a cliché yes, but imagine if everyone acted with kindness, wouldn’t the world be a happier place to live in? Although this is unlikely to happen in the highly complex world we live in, you can still change your own habits and thereby have a small impact on those closest to you, and this can potentially ripple out to even more people.
“Where there is man, there is opportunity for goodness”
Seneca
I’ve been thinking about this Seneca quote more and more lately and the more I digest it the more I realize that kindness is the key to living a life full of hope and a life without fear. What is life without kindness? Why would you want to approach everything in a negative way, not wanting to be something as simple as kind to others by default, especially when it costs nothing?
Yes, life is hard, but every person you meet is an opportunity for you to change through kindness, helping yourself, a friend, a colleague or a stranger. Every person you come in contact with is an opportunity to breathe a light into the world and potentially change someone else’s mood for the better, and maybe even give them some much needed hope and faith.
“Kindness is invincible”
Marcus Aurelius
Kindness itself is invincible because when you intentionally choose to be kind, there is no room for darkness, and when you share that kindness with someone else, you allow them to share your power. You are both participating in a pure moment, free of time or ego and experiencing a high frequency of compassion, reminding you of the one thing that truly matters to all of us – love itself.
That feeling of compassion you feel in those moments is an involuntary human response that binds us all. It’s not something you have to decode, it’s just built into all of us and we can’t stop it from lifting us up just like hearing a funny joke makes us react with an involuntary laugh. What’s more important than that?
The best part is that kindness is free, it makes you and the person receiving it feel good.
15 Quotes to Inspire Kindness in Your Life
Kindness can be hard to practice, especially when dealing with difficult people. The key is to always remember that it is not helpful to act with revenge in mind or to imitate someone else’s behavior. If you’re looking for something to inspire kindness in your life, here are some of the best kindness quotes I’ve found that I believe describe the importance of keeping kindness at the forefront of every encounter you have and how it will benefit you and those with them. whom you come into contact with.
1. “It really shocks me when I meet people who think kindness doesn’t matter. Because I think that’s pretty much the only thing that matters.”
Josh Radnor
2. “Sometimes it only takes one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life,”
fireplace Chan
3. “When you do acts of kindness you feel a wonderful feeling inside. It’s like something in your body responds and says, yes, this is how I should feel.”
Harold Kushner
4. “Politeness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
Mark Twain
5. “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
6. “Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least expensive and most underrated agent of human change,”
Bob Carrey
7. “You can’t go a day without making an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Jane Goodall
8. “Treat everyone with kindness and goodness, not because they are nice, but because you are.”
Roy T. Bennett
9. “Joy for human beings is found in right human work. And right human work consists in: acts of kindness to other human beings, disdain for the agitation of the senses, recognition of reliable impressions, and contemplation of the natural order and all that happens according to it.”
Marcus Aurelius
10. “Kindness is more than actions. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch. It’s anything that elevates a person”
Plato
11. “The more we consciously choose kindness over criticism or hostility, the more we develop the ‘kindness muscles’ that empower us to face life in an effective, joyful way.”
Angela C. Santomero
12. “People often ask me what is the most effective technique to transform their lives. It’s a bit of a shame that after years and years of research and experimentation, I have to say that the best answer is to be a little kinder.”
Piero Ferrucci
13. “A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A series of such moments can change the course of your life.”
Christopher Germer
14. “Kindness initiates an inner feeling that allows you to experience perfect virtue without having to do more. The kindness received is often enough to create more healing. All it takes is one small act of kindness to give someone peace of mind.”
Anonymous
15. Our visit on this planet is short, so we should use our time meaningfully, which we can do by helping others wherever possible. And if we cannot help others, at least we should try not to cause them pain and suffering
Dalai Llama
Make kindness a habit through your daily actions
To reap the many benefits of being kind on a daily basis, why not try to make it a habit? You’re going to have a small impact on the world every day anyway, so make it kind!
Remember to share kindness without motivation or expectation in your daily actions to reap the full benefits. You can make kindness a habit by pausing briefly in your interactions and asking yourself. “How can I approach this with kindness?”
Remember: the simplest acts of kindness often mean the most.
Examples of politeness.
- If you like something someone is wearing, tell them how great they look.
- Ask someone how they are doing and remind them that they can talk to you if they need to
- Buy a loved one some flowers for no other reason than to be kind
- Offer to carry something for someone
- Offer to help someone with their work
- Surprise someone with their favorite food
- Just keep the door open
- If someone has made an effort in their appearance, tell them you recognize it
- Leave a tip for a server
- Remind someone how much you love them
- Tell that person to keep going because you believe in them
- Give someone you love a hug
- Check in on someone
- Check in on someone you suspect may be lonely
- Praise the achievements of others
Kindness or acts of kindness are more powerful than we think. So go ahead and make someone’s day by doing something kind without wanting or needing anything in return, and you’ll both share that feeling of being lifted up in a world that so often can feel like it’s pulling us down.
