On November 13th it is World Kindness Day. Personally, I feel every day should have many moments of kindness in, but, in reality, life gets in the way and we sometimes forget how little gestures can mean so much, both as giver and receiver.
I could give you the evidence of why it’s important to be kind but I am sure that you know it feels great, and isn’t that a good enough reason? Another great reason is that, often, one act of kindness can have a ripple effect, reaching far beyond where it started! That's incredible!
I thought I would give you a list of ideas; I would love to hear how these go, and of any others you do.
Acts of kindness
Phone a friend.
Smile at a stranger.
Pay a compliment to a stranger.
Make a tea/coffee for someone.
Buy a drink for a stranger.
Make/buy a cake and give it to a neighbour.
Offer to take a friend's dog for a walk.
Pay everyone you spend time with a compliment.
Buy a Greggs voucher for a homeless person.
Give someone you love a hug.
Read a child's favourite story to them.
Ask someone to dance.
Make someone a meal.
Listen to someone talk about their favourite subject.
Go for a walk with a friend.
Ask someone how they feel and listen to the answer.
Share a friend's business.
Raise some money for a local cause.
Open a door for a stranger.
Say thank you to a colleague that may feel unnoticed.
Share a cause that's important to you on social media and say why.
Offer to share a skill.
Give someone a reason to smile.
Plan a day out with a loved one.
Make/buy a just because gift for someone.
Buy a gift for a child in care.
Write a card or letter to someone, telling them why you think they're brilliant.
Tell yourself that you're a wonderful human.
Learn about someone who is different to you.
Look on Amnesty International and sign their petitions.
Play a game with people you care about.
Pick something beautiful, give it to someone and say it reminded you of them.
Sit with a homeless person and have a chat.
Book tickets for a local event; if you can’t go, gift them to someone.
Clear out a food cupboard and donate a few bits to your local food bank.
Go through a wardrobe and donate what you don’t wear to a local charity shop.
Give some old towels or duvet covers to an animal shelter.
Buy a cheap bunch of flowers and hand a flower to people you pass, or the people in the shop you bought them from.
Do a potter around where you live and pick up bits of litter.
Donate a gift for a local raffle.
Offer your seat on public transport.
Write a love poem for someone.
Write a love poem to yourself.
Leave a review for your favourite local businesses.
Give your postie a bar of chocolate.
Make up a memory book for someone you love; write down favourite memories of them, what you appreciate about them, and put in photos.
Offer to babysit for a friend.
Send an "I appreciate you because…" text to friends.
Offer to volunteer at a local community event.
Share a happy song that always makes you think of someone special with them.
Now, because you'll have done one or more of these acts of kindness, put your arms in the air and say loudly, "I am wonderful!" Because you are!
Now, a large part of my work is about kindness; I listen to people; help them feel seen; show them how great they are; and encourage them to do all of that for others. With an anticipated 4,000 social enterprises expected to close this winter, due to rising costs and less support, if you would like one of your acts of kindness to support the work I do, with children, young people, and vulnerable women, it would be very much appreciated! You can donate via PayPal, at fundraising@vieness.co.uk , or you can buy my books and cards, for yourself, or as acts of kindness for others, at www.vieness.co.uk/shop Or, if don’t have money to spare, please leave a review for something you have benefitted from that I provide, or share my website with others. Thank you!
And thank you for making the world a kinder place 🥰.
Love,
Vie
Xx