by Ivy from Beautifully Simply You
Every morning I take the train to work. I am surrounded by people who are constantly yelling at each other or shoving each other all for their own sole purpose. I can’t lie and say I haven’t said a remark under my breath after being pushed by someone, and I can’t say I haven’t shoved someone to make room on the train for myself. We can all get a bit angry when we are trying to get to our destination on time, right?
But often when I see these people so angry, it dictates my mood a lot. I can instantly become angry because of their anger, or get frustrated because I have been pushed or because I am surrounded by hundreds of angry, sweaty people.
So then I started to think, what if we were more kind to people? What if we offered a kind smile or a compliment rather than yelling at strangers who we don’t know. We don’t know that person’s story or their struggle and yelling may be their breaking point when they are simply crying out for kindness from others. Being kind is free and takes so much less energy than being angry. I grew up as an angry child and teenager, and the energy I used to stay angry was exhausting. But being kind rejuvenates me and is so easy and effortless because our normal human reaction is to show love, we are wired to be kind. Being kind to others brings so much beauty to the world and to our soul than anger ever will. Think of all of the times that you were kind and made someone happy. Didn’t those moments feel so much better than those times you got into a fight with someone you care about or your patience was tested and you yelled at a stranger?
Last week, I had left my laundry downstairs too long in the dryer at my apartment complex. Usually if people need the dryer they will just take all your clothes out and throw them on the table. I know I am guilty of doing this! When I came downstairs, I wasn’t surprised to see all of my clothes out of the dryer, but I was surprised to see all of them perfectly folded. Someone decided to be kind to me, maybe they did it as a selfless act or maybe they did it in hopes of getting something good back to them from the universe for their good deed. Whatever the reason, someone decided to be kind and go out of their way to bring a smile to a stranger’s face. That small act of kindness, truly made my day. It gave me hope in humanity. It made my day a whole lot easier because I was running around trying to get a million things done. That one person was just doing a random act of kindness, but they made me smile and feel happy for the rest of the day. I recognized how easy it is to be kind, how much being kind can truly help brighten someone’s day and provide them with hope to keep fighting. I probably will never know who folded my clothes for me that day, but that stranger changed my perspective and they probably didn’t even know they would make such an impact. Think about that, you can make a huge difference in someone’s life, someone’s outlook on life and their perspective all by being kind. You can encourage other people to be kind, just by being kind. We can create this ripple effect of kindness in the world, just by choosing to be kind today.
Today, and every day, I am challenging myself to be more kind. I am challenging myself to do more random acts of kindness, without ever expecting anything in return.
If you see a stranger, send a smile, offer a compliment, tell someone they are beautiful. If someone does something that makes an impact on your life, tell them, let them know the difference that they are making. If you see someone struggling, don’t ignore the situation, offer kind words and a safe space to let them know that they aren’t alone. Send random compliments to your friends and family to brighten their day – tell them how much they mean to you. Hold a door open for multiple strangers. Buy coffee for the person behind you. Offer food or your company to the homeless. These last two: buying food and buying coffee, these last two options, aren’t free per se, but by doing these acts of kindness you can feel light in your soul, and that is a priceless feeling.
Let’s all try to be more kind, because if we are more kind, we encourage others to be more kind, and the world will become a more beautiful, loving and caring place to live. I want to live in a world like that. Join me today to be more kind.
Xo,
Be Beautifully Simply you