Kindness Creations

Thank-You Collection: Acts of kindness yield thanks-yous. We collect thank-yous when we: 1) Offer sincere compliments, 2) Help with everyday tasks, 3) Hold an open door, 4) Actively listen to someone in need, 5) Send a thoughtful message, 6) Give someone a small surprise or 7) Prepare a meal/beverage for someone. When we all increase our daily thank-you collections, our kindness characteristics gets stronger and social encounters become kinder. How many ‘thank-yous’ will you collect, today?

Thank-You Giving: Be generous with your thank-yous. Give a genuine thank-you to every person who completes any act of kindness. Give thank-yous for: 1) routine chores (e.g., laundry), 2) positive personalities, 3) emotional support (e.g. active listening), 4) collaborative endeavors (e.g. projects), 5) thoughtful messages, 6) knowledge sharing, 7) meal planning/morning coffee & 8) picking up litter. Thank-you giving strengthens positive thinking & encourages others to continue doing acts of kindness. Find some acts of kindness & give out some genuine thank-yous.

You’re-Welcome Giving: Saying “You’re welcome,” is a way of reinforcing the acts of kindness that we do. The origin of its meaning states that others are not obligated to repay us for what we did. Graciously acknowledging someone’s appreciation reinforces the win-win action of the giver & the receiver. Let’s complete the cycle of kindness by giving a sincere & genuine you’re-welcome to every thank-you we receive.

Please Ask: Please use “please.” Without saying “please,” we are only commanding people to do something. When asked properly, many people enjoy using their talents & skills to help others. Politely asking others for assistance may even lift their spirit & add value to the relationship. Please add please to all your asks.

Selfish Gratitude: Practicing gratitude everyday adds resilience to our day. Even viewing a problem or a struggle as an opportunity to grow becomes a new mindset. Whether you practice gratitude by writing, praying or thinking, it all works the same. Begin each day with a one-minute gratitude moment by completing the sentence “I am thankful for…”. This daily practice strengthens positive thinking & resilience. Keep this daily practice & let your appreciation for life grow naturally.

Words of Kindness: Choose a word of kindness that resonates with you. Then, turn that word into action for the day. You can repeat the word for a few days or randomly pick a new word. But no matter what, let the ‘kindness’ word drive your actions. Be the word. Through consistent practice, the kindness word will become a characteristic that others will notice. To get you started, here’s a short list of kindness-words: Empathy, Optimism, Honesty, Generosity, Gratitude, Humility, Patience, Compassion. Wishing you all the best on your kindness journey.