A random act of kindness is doing something simple, without expectation or desire for recognition, to show you care for someone else. Performing these acts may even boost your own happiness, and happiness is contagious. It can create a ripple effect throughout your community.
Kindness is being generous with others, by giving your time, money, and talent to support those who are in need. Kindness is acting with compassion, which means being really there for someone by listening intently to their suffering or just sitting with them and silently supporting them. Such compassion involves a deep concern for the welfare of others.
However, spreading kindness does not have to be a grand gesture. Something as small as watering an elderly neighbor’s flowers or donating canned goods is still something good that deserves to be celebrated.
Here are some ideas for random acts of kindness that will brighten up someone else’s day.
Free to Less Costly Acts of Kindness
- Connect with your loved ones and check-in with them
- Send an encouraging texts message
- Make someone laugh
- Say, “This [song, TV show, job posting] made me think of you”
- Write a “Thank you” note to show your appreciation
- Send a shout-out to your team about a colleague who is doing a great job
- Share compliments you overheard
- Engage fully with those who are serving us from behind the counter
- Tip your servers and waiters
- Share your talents or areas of expertise
- Let someone cut in front of you in a traffic jam or in line
- Perform tasks at home that your partner, family, or roommate hate doing
- Run an errand for someone
- Bring toys, books, unused greeting cards, clothes, and linens to homeless shelters or other organizations and charities
- Volunteer to help those who are vulnerable
- Become a Best Buddy and help those with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Create cards for children who are hospitalized (cardzforkidz.org)
- Spread inspiring, funny, or uplifting messages in chalk on your sidewalks
- Donate blood or join the bone marrow registry
- Leave a testimonial or review for good service
- Create a holiday or appreciation day to celebrate loved ones
- Pass along a useful resource
- Create an email address for your children and send them memories and achievements. Give them the address when older
- Let go of resentment and forgive
- Practice self-compassion and be kind to yourself
- Accept kindness in return, you deserve it
Monetary Acts of Kindness
- Purchase a coffee for the person behind you
- Donate funds to Food Banks, Breakfast Club, Meals on Wheels
- Find a cause on GoFundMe
- Purchase gift certificates or buy local/independent products to support small businesses
- Donate a shoebox filled with essential and small luxury items for women who are homeless (www.shoeboxproject.com)
- Plant a tree in someone’s name as a gift (www.alivingtribute.ca)
- Send flowers or a gift basket
- Adopt an animal or assist with dog walking
- Participate in Habitat for Humanity and build a house
- Help a teacher get the supplies needed for class
- Pay for someone’s school tuition or electrical bills
Can you think of another way to spread your kindness to others?
Additional Readings
Catch up on our latest blog post about Why your boundaries matter now more than ever
Read our blog about How to practice self-compassion
Read about The importance of kindness
