”No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” -Aesop
This is a guest post from Bridget Stacey-Luff, founder of An Urban Om and co-author of The Business Yogi: how to be happy at work (out April 2012).
Remember the first Valentines card you gave? (Not the one to your mother! But the first one to a crush). Mine at age 14 was to the high school hunk who probably had no idea of my existence. I spent hours handcrafting a card, sprayed it with perfume and then surreptitiously snuck it into his locker on V day. Although he had no idea it was from me, it made me happy knowing that it would give him a moment of flattery and pleasure.
When we make a self-less offering to another it makes us both happy. And it has a knock on effect. When someone is kind to you, often you feel good and offer a little act of kindness to someone else and so on and so forth – it spirals out in a good way. And our world becomes a happier place.
And the reverse is true too. If you are unkind to someone, it hurts them and they may go away and be unkind to someone else. It spirals out in a less good way making the world a less happy place.
How do we implement these little acts of kindness?
Well, we can take our cue from the yoga mat. If we are first kind to ourselves, we are inspired and have the will to give to others. Like some wise guy once said: we cannot give water from a dry well. It starts simply with kind thoughts. Kind thoughts to yourself and then kind thoughts to others. Even when it’s challenging, that’s when it can be most transformative. And then kind words – a compliment, a little note, to those around you and yourself. Don’t wait for it to be reciprocated – just get on and do it. And finally kind actions. A smile, making a cuppa or a little well-considered gift.
Giving with no agenda – a few little acts of kindness – can be incredibly rewarding for all parties involved. Every moment there is an opportunity to bring in a kind thought, word or deed.
Give it a try today. Notice how it can effect change in yourself, in the home, workplace and maybe even the world.
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This Valentine’s Day spread the love by giving meaningful valentines that help women survivors of war rebuild their lives with Women for Women. With each valentine that you purchase for a loved one, a donation is made to Women for Women International in their honor and they also send a valentine to a woman in their programme to let them know someone is thinking of them.
This week, I am offering the chance to win a full scholarship (worth £250) to the Mindful Productivity eClass. Find out how here.
