The Kindness Box

[Geoff-Allen]

The next step focuses on the mindset that all people are special in their own way and have their own problems. With this awareness, you can either judge people on your first impression of them and then expect to be judged in the same way. Or you can send them a silent “I wish you well” to recognize that they are special.

“When you wishing somebody well, you are wishing two people well,” Sood said. “One person is the person you’re wishing well… and the other is yourself.”

Comes from this site -

Amit Sood shares four-step guide to happiness

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Try this search - how to become a kinder person

For example -

Real talk: The world is kind of a mess right now. And some of the struggles that we’re facing seem so monumental that it’s easy to feel down about the current state of affairs. But rest assured—there are things you can do to help those around you. You can sign petitions. You can donate money. You can practice social distancing to keep vulnerable people safe. And may we offer another suggestion? You can be kind.

Every time you do something nice for others—without expecting anything in return—you make the world just that much better. Are we saying that putting change in someone else’s parking meter is going to solve the world’s problems? Obviously not. But it will make someone’s day a little brighter. And here’s the funny thing about kindness: It’s contagious. That person might just pay it forward and do something considerate or charitable for somebody else, who might do the same and so on and so forth. (Also, being unkind is the opposite of helpful, yes?)

Read more tips here -

25 Easy Ways to Be Kinder to Others (and Yourself)

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[Geoff-Allen]

Site named dooing good together -

DIY Kindness Journal — Doing Good Together™

Also writing exercises kindness ...

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[Geoff-Allen]

From the greater good website -

One way to feel an immediate boost of connection is through Random Acts of Kindness. Random Acts of Kindness don’t have to be flashy or extravagant; they can be as simple as helping a friend with a chore or making breakfast for your partner. You can also extend your circle of kindness to strangers and community members, feeding a parking meter or offering a meal to someone in need.

In a 2005 study, participants who performed five acts of kindness on one day a week for six weeks reported increases in happiness. (This didn’t happen when they spread out their acts of kindness across the week, perhaps because a single kind act may not feel noteworthy on its own.) Researchers also suggest varying your acts of kindness over time to keep the practice fresh and dynamic.

Some of your acts of kindness may involve giving, and the Make Giving Feel Good practice helps ensure that giving does, indeed, bring happiness. Researchers Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, among others, have found evidence that being kind and generous does make us happier, but they’ve also found that acts of giving are most effective when they meet these three criteria:

Read more -

Five Science-Backed Strategies for More Happiness

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[Geoff-Allen]

Why Choose Kindness?

Across many studies, kindness has been linked to greater well-being. For example, research has looked at spending money on others as well as practicing random acts of kindness as two common ways that people can increase happiness through kindness. Importantly, the benefits of kindness don't seem to depend on who we give our kindness to—being kind to strong ties, weak ties, and self have equally positive effects on happiness (Rowland & Curry, 2019). Indeed, a growing consensus in the happiness field suggests that kindness may just be the best way to increase happiness.

Read more at this site -

Kindness: Definition, Ideas, & Examples

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

When you plant seeds in the garden, you don’t dig them up every day to see if they have sprouted yet. You simply water them and clear away the weeds; you know that the seeds will grow in time. Similarly, just do your daily practice and cultivate a kind heart. Abandon impatience and instead be content creating the causes for goodness; the results will come when they’re ready.

Thubten Chodron

Many similar authors at that site!

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[Geoff-Allen]

TOP 25 KINDNESS AND COMPASSION QUOTES (of 172) | A-Z Quotes

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[Geoff-Allen]

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Happiness Practice: Make a point of doing considerate, loving and generous things for others (“random acts of kindness”) daily. Seize every opportunity to do the right thing and to express gratitude for kindnesses you receive. Get involved with at least one organized cause that inspires you to share not just your money, but at least a little face-to-face time and effort. If you’re looking for meaningful ways to get involved, check out Web sites like www.idealist.org and www.volunteermatch.com to connect with organizations that might need your expertise.

Comes from this site -

5 Ways to Practice Happiness

Enjoy the rest of your day!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Just as we hunt for things to fix in life, we also tend to obsess over flaws in ourselves; our weaknesses loom large. But what if we put more time and attention into our strengths and positive attributes?

The Use Your Strengths exercise invites you to consider your strengths of character—from creativity and perseverance to kindness and humility—and put them into practice. Each day for a week, select a strength and make a plan to use it in a new and different way. You can repeat the same strength—directing your curiosity toward a work project one day and toward your partner’s interests the next—or work on different strengths each day. At the end of the week, synthesize the experience by writing about what you did, how it made you feel, and what you learned.

In a 2005 study, participants who engaged in this exercise for a week reported feeling happier and less depressed, and that happiness boost lasted up to six months. Use Your Strengths may help us transfer skills between home and work — applying our professional creativity to our children’s school assignments or our domestic kindness to our co-workers — and give us a confidence boost all around.

Comes from this site -

5 Science-Backed Strategies for More Happiness - Goodnet

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[Geoff-Allen]

Happiness strategies kindness? -

"True happiness consists in making others happy", according to an old Hindu proverb. A number of recent studies have confirmed that this is, in fact, true. Not only do the recipients of kindness feel better, but so do those who practice kindness.

Study participants who performed five acts of kindness every week for six weeks saw a significant boost in happiness. Their acts of kindness ranged from simple to significant, and included things like "bought a friend a sundae", "gave a homeless man $20.00", and "let my sister borrow my car". Other studies have found that we get a more significant boost in happiness when we buy something for someone else than when we spend money on ourselves.

Why does kindness increase our happiness? One simple reason is that helping someone in need can increase our awareness and gratitude for our own good fortune. Focusing on kindness to others also draws our attention away from our own problems or worries. Long ago, a famous psychiatrist prescribed two weeks of kindness to others as a sure cure for his depressed patients.

Read a little more on this site -

https://www.cathynoblick.com/single-post/2017/02/13/practice-acts-of-kindness

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Another similar site -

One of the best ways to increase our own happiness is to do things that make other people happy. In countless studies, kindness and generosity have been linked to greater life satisfaction, stronger relationships, and better mental and physical health—generous people even live longer.

What’s more, the happiness people derive from giving to others creates a positive feedback loop: The positive feelings inspire further generosity—which, in turn, fuels greater happiness. And research suggests that kindness is truly contagious: Those who witness and benefit from others’ acts of kindness are more likely to be kind themselves; a single act of kindness spreads through social networks by three degrees of separation, from person to person to person to person.

But just because we have the capacity for kindness, and reap real benefits from it, doesn’t mean that we always act with kindness. We may be too busy, distracted, or wrapped up in our own concerns to pay close attention to others’ needs or actively seek out opportunities to help. Or we’re just out of practice: Researchers have argued that kindness is like a muscle that needs to be strengthened through repeated use.

Three Strategies for Bringing More Kindness into Your…

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[Geoff-Allen]

Thoughts about kindness -

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[Geoff-Allen]

The courage to choose kindness -

When you went off to first-grade, or to a friend’s birthday party, or to a family event, did your mother remind you to “be nice?” Or maybe when you were playing with the neighbor kids or skirmishing with your siblings, did mom regularly instruct you to “be nice?”

Mine did. It was her frequent mantra (along with “sit up straight” and “stop fidgeting”). While I was often told to be nice, I don’t recall ever being directed to “be kind.” Are they the same thing? I don’t think so.

Do You Have the Courage to Choose Kindness? | BEST SELF

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

At the stillness speaks site -

Kindness is chapter 13 from Peter Russell’s book Seeds of Awakening, which is “A collection of seventeen short essays on the awakening of consciousness, based on the author’s personal journey and insights. It includes topics such as the essence of spirituality, the search for happiness, meditation, letting go, our true nature, the pure self, love, forgiveness, synchronicity, and the nature of consciousness.” (excerpted from this book’s page on Amazon).

Click here for Peter’s post on this chapter. Peter has graciously provided the full chapter PDF for FREE download.

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

If we want to increase our happiness and well-being, we need to engage in acts of kindness that feel right for us. For example, let's say Jane decides to be kind by volunteering at a women's health clinic. If Jane is pro-choice, this might make her feel great. But if Jane is pro-life, this type of kindness and volunteering might make her feel awful. All this is to say that before engaging in acts of kindness, we should take a moment to think through what kindness means to us and what types of kindness would make us feel good.

Kindness: Definition, Ideas, & Examples

Enjoy your day!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Be Kind

Opening your heart to other people's needs will fill your heart in return.

When you give freely to others, you will feel happy and fulfilled.

Be kind to everyone you meet, no matter the role they play in your life or how often you see them. You can never go wrong with kindness.

Comes from this list of suggestions -

27 Of The Best Ways To Find True Happiness

Al the best

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Another excellent site -

It’s so easy to abstractly think of yourself as an accepting person, but when it comes to your daily interactions, really pay attention to them and ask yourself if you are accepting others as they are. Are you really accepting them? Are you really not thinking your way of doing things is the best way?

The more I use these six tactics in my life, the more I find myself being much more accepting of others. I’m more loving, more forgiving, more kind. I’ve discovered that the only way to live a positive and present life is to accept what is—something you certainly can’t do if you don’t accept others for who they are.

Read more and the menus on this page -

6 Ways To Accept Others As They Are - Kind Over Matter

Off to explore a bit more ....

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[Geoff-Allen]

"Life is messy. Would that every puzzle piece fell into place, every word was kind, every accident happy but such is not the case. Life is messy."

Comes from this page -

Christopher Moore Quote: “Life is messy. Would that every puzzle piece fell into place, every word was kind, every accident happy, but such is not...”

Do a new thread?

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[Geoff-Allen]

From a recent email -

From the Inspire kindness site -

Kindness 101 | Meaning | Definition | What Is Kindness | Inspire Kindness

All the best!