Random Act of Kindness Day is February 17th. But if you’re waiting until a specific day to be kind to someone else… I don’t know what to tell you other than you’re doing life wrong.
You should be kind every single day!!! The world has so much to offer you. I know other people can be mean or nasty at times, but that doesn’t mean you have to fight nasty with nasty. (I know I sound like your third-grade teacher preaching about how it’s nice to be nice to people.) But I truly believe that everyone should just be kind to each other.
I know there are some times in our lives when things get hard and life keeps kicking you down no matter what you do. While it’s hard to keep your spirits up, you might be wondering “why should I be nice to people if life isn’t nice to me”, right?
I don’t know if you believe in all that karma stuff, but I believe what goes around does come right back around. Or if you want to be talking about energies, it works the same way! If you spread some positive energy, it will come around back to you! And kindness works the same way. Be kind to the universe, and the universe will be kind right back.
Don’t think that what you do doesn’t matter. Just think about the impact that you can have on yourself, your loved ones, or even strangers with the kindness you will be spreading!
So this post is to help you kickstart how you can display “random” acts of kindness. I will be breaking it down into two categories so you can choose if you want to be kind “for free” or be kind “at a cost”.
Things you can do to be kind “for free”:
- Lend a helping hand
Kindness can be as easy as helping your mom bring in the groceries or driving your grandparents to their doctor’s appointments.
You can also take it to the “outside world” and volunteer at your local animal shelter, non-profit organizations, or wherever you see fit! The volunteer work I love doing is Surfrider’s Coastal Cleanups or cleaning up community gardens!
The picture above was when I was selling reusable straws at a beach cleanup back in college. All the profits went to the charity of our choice and we chose the Surfrider Foundation! - Compliment a stranger
This reminds me of that one video on TikTok where someone drives by and compliments strangers on the street. I’m sorry, I don’t remember what this is called or who it’s by. But when you randomly go up to someone and compliment them, you never know the impact you leave on someone when you give them a compliment. - Let someone go ahead in line
You never know what someone is going through or what their day is like. But something as simple as saying “oh, you can go ahead”, can really turn their day around (in a good way). This gesture shows that you’re taking their time in consideration.
Maybe this is the only time they can go to the store before they have to get back to their hectic job. Maybe they’re running behind on something urgent they have to get done but need supplies for it. Or maybe it’s just nice to hear someone say “go ahead” because everyone knows how dreading waiting in line can be. Either way, it’s nice to let someone “cut” ahead once in a while.
- Leave a positive comment/feedback on someone’s post!
A little goes a long way. As much as we hate to admit it, but social media has ruined us. Of course, I’m not going to speak for everyone, but I for sure know that I get insecure whenever I post. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a selfie or a picture of food I took. I’m putting myself out there, thinking about what other people think and wondering if they even care about what I am posting.
I took a gamble with starting a journey like this, putting my opinions out there and documenting parts of my life. The times I got comments or messages from someone I wasn’t expecting actually made my day. Because it makes me think “wow, they actually took the time to read what I wrote.” It really does mean a lot. So support someone by leaving a positive comment or feedback on their work! - Let someone know you’re thinking of them
This one is so cute because it warms my heart when I get a message or call saying “hey, I was just thinking of you” like wow. Me? Why me? There’s so much going on in life and in a person’s day, and they stopped to let me know they were thinking of me?
This one sounds weird because you don’t think of this as an “act of kindness” just a gesture of “I’m thinking of you”. But if you really think about it, it’s such a kind gesture because no matter what is on someone’s plate, they took a second to stop what they’re doing or thinking about and sent you a message because they thought of you. - Write a letter of appreciation
This one is kind of like the last two but is means so much more. To think of someone is nice, but being let know they’re appreciated? My heart. Letters have my whole heart, honestly. I know it’s old school, like who even writes on paper anymore? But still, when people receive a text/a letter/a message, and seeing that someone wrote it “just in appreciation”, it can warm their heart because someone really took time of their day, sat down, and wrote them a letter “just because I appreciate you????” This can easily make someone’s day for sure.
Things you can do to be kind “at a cost”:
This is not ‘at a cost’ as in “okay, some bad things are going to happen if I do this” or “I have to sell my kidney in order to do this”. At a cost means it’s going to cost you money. But keep in mind that these things can cost as little as you want.
- Leave money in a meter for the next person
I’m sure you’ve experienced having to pay the meter to park and seeing that someone has leftover time for you so you don’t have to pay. Why not pay that forward? Leave “time” for the next person after you! Change can really make a difference. (Did you get that pun? hehe) - Gift a gift (basket) to someone
One of my top love languages to other people is gift giving. I’m the type of person who thinks that you can take someone out or give gifts “just because”. Life is too short to wait for an occasion. Give someone a gift or gift basket simply “just because”.
This doesn’t have to cost too much, you can just gift someone $5 flowers, a teddy bear from the dollar store, or just throw together a basket of snacks. It doesn’t take much, it’s the thought that counts. - Donate
We are all going through something in life. And I will say it over and over again, “a little goes a long way”. You don’t have to donate money if you don’t want to. You can donate school supplies, canned goods, clothes, anything. Choose any organization that has your best interest and donate the supplies they request for.
- Pay for the next person in line
This is similar to the parking meter one, and it applies anywhere you go. The grocery store, McDonalds, Starbucks, etc. Wherever and whenever you feel like it, just tell the cashier that you’re going to pay for the person behind you. If the person behind you says anything, just tell them that whenever they can, pay it forward to someone else. You never know who you’re helping out with this. - Cook/buy food for someone
Eating is a basic survival instinct. But based on my observations, not everyone is feeding themselves well. I’ve seen some people eat “just for fuel” so they have energy to go back to what they need to do.
So, keeping that in mind, you can cook someone a meal or buy them a “warm” meal. It shows that you’re thinking about them and helping them out by giving them one less thing to worry about–their next meal. - Hand out gift cards
To be straight to the point–this is another form of donation. COVID has impacted us in many different ways. One of them would be that some, if not most, stores prefer to be cashless. So handing out gift cards is a thoughtful way to helping someone out, rather than giving them cash.
Being kind really isn’t hard honestly, you don’t even have to follow the stuff I suggested. It really could be in the little things like holding the door for someone, pulling a seat out for someone before you seat yourself, lending someone a hand, asking if someone needs anything at the store while you’re out, etc.
You always hear “treat others how you want to be treated” and “be the change you wish to see in the world”, and I think it’s time for us to start applying it if you haven’t done so already.
