Being kind doesn’t have to be a big deal. You don’t have to be sacrificial or a martyr to be nice to other people. Remember, when you learned about the Golden Rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It’s that easy.
Being kind doesn’t have to cost you anything more than a smile or remembering your manners. And it’s easy to develop a kindness habit; once you get into the groove of being kind to people, it just gets easier!
Here are some suggestions to help you get started to be Kind to others
1. Smile
Smiling is easy, cheap, and sustainable. It’s also contagious – smile at someone, and their immediate reaction is to smile back. The act of smiling is relaxing and floods your brain with endorphins. As a bonus, smiling lowers your blood pressure and your stress levels.
By making eye contact and giving a genuine smile, you are showing respect and making connections.
2. Reach out
Don’t wait for people to connect with you. Send a message, a card, or flowers to someone you haven’t seen for a while. Chances are you’ll brighten their day. If you know someone has been having a rough time, check in with an ‘are you ok’ message.
If you have elderly neighbors, check-in with them to see if they need anything.
3. Offer some hugs
Offer your partner, kids, or friends a random hug for no reason. So many people are starved of physical affection. And often as children grow up, they get hugged by their parents less and less. A warm hug lifts them and will make everyone feel good.
4. Show up
If you’re routinely too busy for social occasions, or your kids’ school function or sport, step back for a minute and set some kinder priorities in your life. Give the gift of your time and your support.
5. Be a kindness role model
Think back to the people who have shown your kindness, maybe a teacher or a boss or mentor. How did they affect your life? By including kindness in your life, you can be an excellent role model for your colleagues, friends, and family. Show them that being kind is a priority for you.
6. Give some random compliments
Notice when someone does a good job or is looking great. You have the power to lift their day by noticing and acknowledging their efforts.
7. Make Other People Happy
When people themselves are happy, they experience positive feelings, which they attribute as being something good. But when people make others happy, it elevates those positive feelings even further. There is no doubt that people love to make others happy. In fact, if you are ever feeling down yourself, one way to bring yourself up is to find ways to make others happy. This will give you the boost you need.
When you strive to make others happy, they notice. They will get a boost in their mood, which you will see that reaction in their face immediately. It may even be returned to you in kind, either immediately, or sometime in the future.
The great part about making others happy is it is relatively easy to do. It can be as simple as paying someone a compliment. Or it can be helping out a colleague whose workload is overextended. Sometimes, simply thanking someone can lift up their spirits no matter how small the task that you are thanking them for is.
One really easy way to make people happy is to smile. Smiling is a warm and friendly act that most people will respond to positively by smiling back. A smile is a form of welcoming and shows that you are opening yourself up to those people. It gives people an invitation to approach you.
Another way to make someone happy is to simply listen to them. You would be amazed at how effective this is. People aren’t usually good listeners, so if you stand out as someone who is, this too will get noticed by people, and it will make them happy.
If you want to go a step further in making others happy, try to learn more about the people that you want to make happy. Be interested in what they do. Then, if you see something related to their interests, either bring it to their attention or give them something related that shows you were paying attention.
It’s important to be genuine when making others happy and not use it as a form of manipulation. People will pick right up on that tactic, and it is sure to backfire on you. Since it doesn’t really work anyway, why bother even trying it? People will appreciate you much more and will respond positively to your efforts to make them happy instead of trying to get something out of it for yourself. They will also be more willing to make you happy when the effort is real.
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