So I have this theory… if you make it a goal to show kindness to a complete stranger at least once a day, your life will change. Think about it; how many people do you pass in a single day walking through your college campus, making your daily Starbucks run, and everything in between?
My older sister drew my attention to this idea last week in her hometown of Manhattan, New York. Weaving through the nighttime mobs of Times Square in the dead of winter should be an Olympic sport, in my opinion. Especially considering how cranky and stressed everyone can be during the holidays. A NYC local herself, I always pictured my sister blending in with everyone else: looking down, a slightly agitated expression on her face, speed-walking somewhere.
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Instead, she caught me off guard when we saw a woman standing with her young daughter, obviously freezing without a coat in forty-degree weather. We easily could have kept walking, but my sister stopped, dug her wallet out from her purse, and bought the two of them hot chocolate from the coffee stand nearby. A simple gesture, right? But it was so much more than that.
Seeing the smiling mother and daughter happily take the hot coffee cups from us gave me a warm feeling that lingered for the rest of the night. Making someone else’s day made my day. It was almost shocking how easy it was to remind someone that kindness is not a dying force in this world. On top of that, it felt empowering realizing that every day, you have a choice: to walk through life with your head down or to dare to stand out just by being nice to people.
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When I told my sister how refreshing it was to do something kind for a random stranger, she told me that she does things like that every single day, no matter what. She leaves sticky notes with encouraging quotes on the subway, compliments people’s outfits, takes a neighbor’s trash out, or even just says “hello” to a passerby. No matter the size of the action, she puts kindness out into the world – I hope that one day, acts like this will be the norm.
According to The Honey Foundation, random acts of kindness are strongly linked with higher self-esteem, increased happiness, decreased stress, and higher energy. Additionally, “Five [random acts of kindness] in a week will increase your happiness for up to three months”. It seems to me like kindness goes both ways; you feel good about yourself and the other person gains a memorable experience of a total stranger brightening their day, even if it’s as simple as warm hot chocolate on a cold winter night.
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From this day on, I’m going to aim to show kindness to someone at least once a day. Maybe you should do the same! If we can all start a chain reaction, I know the world would shine a little brighter. Let’s be nice for no reason.