PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF KINDNESS

6 ways practicing kindness can benefit you.

Do you want to feel really good right now? Go to YouTube, search for “random acts of kindness” and watch a few of the videos that come up. In fact, I encourage you to do that exercise before moving forward with reading this article. You will know why once you’ve done it.

So, which one did you watch? Was it the police officer buying shoes for a homeless man? A driver stopping to help the elderly lady cross the street? The homeless man buying food for his fellow homeless people after being given money by a stranger? Or was it the young man in the New York subway taking off his shirt and giving it to a homeless, shirtless shivering man sitting across from him? Regardless of what you watched, I bet that now you’re feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Why is that? It’s the same reason that makes all of these videos go viral. It’s the intrinsic “goodness gene” programmed in your DNA recognizing its match. It’s the inborn craving of feeling good that finds satisfaction by watching these acts of kindness. It is one of the basics of human nature, and it knows no distinction of nationality, heritage, religion etc. It is much more profound.

Here is an interesting question. Do you think the people in those viral videos were acting kind hoping to become famous and go viral? The policeman buying the shoes for the homeless person didn’t do it to get a promotion or become admired by the whole nation. The guy taking off his shirt in the subway probably didn’t think to himself: “Hope some passengers have their phones out ready to record what I’m about to do!” And the homeless person sharing his small fortune with his fellows certainly had no idea that he would become an inspiration for hundreds of thousands of people. They just did what they thought was right, because it was the right thing to do. The acts of true kindness are always unconditional. However, each action already includes the consequences within it. No one described this more beautifully than the great Emerson: “Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit, cannot be severed; for the effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, the fruit in the seed.”

If you are reading this article, you are probably no stranger to acts of kindness. But in case you are, let’s look at some possible reasons why. In our super fast paced, materialistic and somewhat “me-centered” society random acts of kindness are the exception, rather than the norm. People don’t expect them. I have witnessed this phenomenon myself over and over again by observing the expression of surprise on the faces of recipients, and onlookers for that matter. You may be a person who doesn’t like being in the spotlight. Naturally, when you do something out of the ordinary, the spotlight of attention turns on you. It’s that fear that keeps a lot of people from exercising kindness. I want to make you a bold promise here and now. THE JOY YOU FEEL WHEN COMMITTING AN ACT OF KINDNESS WILL BLOW YOUR FEARS TO SMITHEREENS. Even if you don’t get a “thank you” in return. Don’t worry about being perceived as “weird”, “irrational” or “out of your mind”. What others think is none of your business. What matters is how you feel.

How about this next common misconception about kindness? Do you ever worry about being viewed as weak for acting kindly? Let’s see what one of the most powerful people in American history, Franklin Roosevelt had to say about that: “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” Still having doubts? Let’s look at the shortlist of some of the most powerful people in history that exercised kindness as a source of their power: Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Winston Churchill...Need I say more? So, which side do you want to be on?

Kindness has many forms of expression: sending silent prayers and good wishes towards others; refusing to strike back and forgiving; saying words of encouragement; complimenting; contributing to charities, big or small; helping people in need; providing shelter. The list can go on indefinitely. But there is one form of kindness that stands above all - the one that only you and God know about. The great quote from the Bible sums it up: “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” Matthew 6:3.

Now it’s time to look at some of the practical benefits of being kind and exercising kindness in daily life. These benefits should not be the purpose or motive behind kindness, but rather its inseparable by-product.

• Happier Life. As mentioned above, doing good deeds makes you feel good inside. What is the essence of happiness? Feeling good, of course! The kinder you are, the happier your life will be.

• Better Health. The medical community agrees that stress is a major cause behind most diseases. Stress is born out of thoughts of fear and worry. The mind is only capable of holding one thought or feeling at a time. It’s absolutely impossible to feel happy and stressed at the same time. Therefore more good feelings=less bad feelings=less stress=better health!

• Increased Self-Esteem and Self Worth. What do you feel when you know you’ve messed up, especially if you mess up frequently? Guilt? Low self esteem? But every time you do something positive, such as helping someone, you grow in your own eyes and boost your self esteem. High self esteem can make a higher impact on your life and results.

• Reputation. Who is the kindest person you know on a personal level? How do you feel about him/her? If they turned to you for favor, wouldn’t you go out of your way to help? And so would everyone else that knows this person. That’s because the person has built a reputation through consistent kind actions. You can become this person and enjoy all the recognition and success that a good reputation brings.

• Good Karma. This point deserves an article of its own. Suffice to say that deliberate acts of kindness are guaranteed to bring you blessings from different sources in all kinds of forms. They also put the reigns of your future in your own hand.

• Chain Reaction. Now we are moving from personal benefits to making a difference on a scale of humanity. Each act of kindness triggers a chain reaction. Imagine yourself being a candle that lights another candle, which lights 5 more candles and so on...If enough people become candles of kindness they can light up the WORLD. Your only responsibility is to keep your own candle burning inside. And always remember that no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever lost.