What is a random act of kindness? It is making somebody else’s life better by sharing kindness, love, blessings, knowledge, wealth, or whatever we can genuinely give.
It is the act of going out of our way to contribute to the life of another, going far beyond the self, which makes us happy and fulfilled. Did you know that performing or even witnessing a random act of kindness floods our brains with Dopamine, ‘happy’ chemical that our brain produces in response to pleasurable activities. Random acts of kindness are so profoundly powerful, that there is even a website set up to devoted to sharing stories to not only lift your day, but also encourage you to get out there and spread some love and positivity too! http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/
Here are even more reasons why we should all do the same, every single day:
- Perspective – when we help those less fortunate than ourselves, it gives us a reality check, resulting in reassessing the negativity that we may experience when we think we don’t have enough or we are struggling.
- The power to change someone’s life for the better – sometimes just lifting someone else’s spirits can create more joy and happiness than we could ever imagine. Sometimes just one small seed of wisdom or moment of compassion can alter their whole way of thinking!
- The joy of giving – the sense of peace and wellbeing that is experienced when giving is exquisite. Seeing true gratitude in someone’s eyes because of your actions warms the heart and invokes the biggest of smiles. There is a true purity in giving and it is one of the most blissful states of being.
- The more kindness you give, the more you will receive back – We are what we extend out into the world. If we are able to give love, compassion and kindness, then we are much more likely to be open to receiving it. Kindness then becomes cyclical and we learn to have an open heart and greater reception to receiving it ourselves.
So… how do we make practicing random acts of kindness part of our lives, every single day? Think about the people that quietly do wonderful things for others and make a point of thanking them. Volunteer for your local charity. Offer a co-worker some of your time in order to help them. Give compliments, generously! Share some of your wealth. Offer to do your partner’s chores – whether they may be cooking dinner or taking the rubbish bin out. Leave a beautiful note in a library book to lift someone’s day. Forgive – ring that person that you fell out with years ago and ask how they are doing.
Really, the options are endless, but if we all banded together and promised each other to practice just one random act of kindness each and every day, imagine how much more beautiful the world could be?!
Here at Santosa Detox & Wellness Center, we have given all of our retreat staff a project! 30 days of random acts of kindness in sunny Phuket… we will let you know what the results are but in the meantime why not try it yourself? ☺