5 Intention-setting Ideas (per day!) to Express Kindness

Be Kind to Humankind Week!

I’m grateful for this annual worldwide celebration, that occurs the last week of August (starting 8/25), yet I also have to admit I wish it wasn’t necessary.  My hope is that we are kind to each other every day!

Each day of this week has a focus, an area where you can practice kindness:

• 8/25:  Thoughtful Thursday
• 8/26:  Forgive Your Foe Friday
• 8/27:  Speak Kind Words Saturday
• 8/28:  Sacrifice Our Wants for Other’s Needs Sunday
• 8/29:  Motorist Consideration Monday
• 8/30:  Touch a Heart Tuesday
• 8/31:  Willing to Lend a Hand Wednesday

Below are intention-setting ideas for you to consider to demonstrate your kindness to humankind this week (and beyond):

1. Thoughtful Thursday. Below is a list of suggestions for consideration:
   • Try considering the feelings of others.
   • Offer appreciation to a co-worker or class mate in a written note.
   • Reach out to someone to let them know you are thinking of them.
   • Donate used sheets, towels and blankets to your local vet or animal shelter.
   • Be on time.
2. Forgive Your Foe Friday.  Consider one of the following to begin to reduce the anger within:
   • Practice self compassion to reduce any anger towards yourself.
   • Take a day off from watching the news.
   • Listen to a loving kindness meditation.
   • Catch yourself when you think something hateful and try saying to yourself “That’s not true.”
   • Try to see the other person’s perspective.
3. Speak Kind Words Saturday.  Conscious practice is the beginning of forming a new habit.  Perhaps try one of these:
   • Compliment a feature of your neighbor’s home.
   • Tell a friend what you love about their children.
   • Pay attention to your tone of voice, specifically how it changes when words are offered from the heart, and speak from an open heart.
   • Practice saying thank you to others when you experience their act of thoughtfulness.
   • Give an unexpected compliment to a stranger.
4. Sacrifice Our Wants for Others’ Needs Sunday.  Giving of ourselves in service of others is a reward in and of itself.  Consider trying one of the following:
   • If you know your friend is sick, bring them a home cooked meal (or their favorite meal from their favorite restaurant).
   • Do extra chores to give a family member some extra time to themselves.
   • Offer to watch your neighbor’s child for free.
   • Take an elderly family member out for a day trip.
   • Participate in a local fund-raising event.
5. Motorist Consideration Monday.  Driving is stressful.  Perhaps try one of the following to bring more kindness into the experience and see how it might reduce your level of stress:
   • Slow down to let someone merge in front of you.
   • Make eye contact with pedestrians at cross walks and traffic lights and smile or wave.
   • Move over to give bicyclists more room on the side of the road.
   • Leave your mobile device out of reach to eliminate the impulse to just check in while sitting at a red light.
   • Avoid driving faster than the speed limit.
6. Touch a Heart Tuesday.  Deeply touching the heart of another through words and deeds profoundly expands the capacity to give and receive kindness.  Consider trying one of these options:
   • Say “I love you.” to those you love, especially your children.
   • Adopt a animal from your local shelter.
   • Practice being a good listener.
   • Send a friend an uplifting article that made you think of them and let them know why.
   • Volunteer at a nursing home and offer to play games with the residents.
7. Willing to Lend a Hand Wednesday.  Keep in mind the Butterfly Effect when perhaps trying one of these small random acts of kindness:
   • Pick up trash in your neighborhood and put it in the garbage.
   • If you know someone that needs a ride somewhere, offer to take them to where they are going.
   • Volunteer at your local library to read a book to children.
   • If someone looks lost, stop and ask if you might offer them some assistance.
   • Stay late for a co-worker who needs to get home.

As always, if you try any of these intention-setting ideas for holistic health, I would love to hear about the impact they might have had for you.  Please send me an email at linda@sanctuary4compassion.com to share!