If there is one virtue which needs to be practised for all the various benefits that it brings, it is kindness. Kindness elevates you to a higher level. It makes you big. It triggers goodness and happiness. Doing a kind deed makes you feel good about yourself. Expressing kindness also makes you more mindful. It increases your awareness about everything going on around you because if kindness exists as a virtue in you, you seldom miss out a chance of being helpful and compassionate. So it would not be wrong to say that kindness helps build empathy, another beautiful virtue. To be able to feel exactly what the other is feeling.
If one cultivates kindness within oneself, gradually and slowly, knowingly or unknowingly one starts walking the spiritual path. This is because every act of kindness keeps adding on to your good karma and you become a natural recepient of grace.
So what does it actually take to exhibit kindness? The best thing is you don’t have to move a mountain to become kind or show kindness. With simple, little acts your purpose gets solved. Though there are a zillion ways to show kindness, here I am trying to mention 7 simple ways of expressing kindness.
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Feed the birds.
One of the simplest ways which not only is a kind act but also makes you feel closer to nature amidst today’s hustle bustle. Much harm has been done already to the environment which has destroyed the natural habitat of birds. By at least feeding them you can do some good to them.
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Help someone cross the road.
People are always in a rush today. It is as if life is like a race. Hold on. You can be different. Just try helping an aged person or a differently abled person or anybody for that matter in crossing the road and see for yourself how different it makes you feel.
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Help a colleague.
If you are working in a government or private sector, it is a given that you understand the level of competition that is there. Nobody wants anyone to get ahead of himself/ herself. Maybe for this reason one might also feel noone must know more than what one knows. However, if you can lend your help to a colleague in terms of your time or teaching a skill, you can express your kindness at workplace. It doesn’t matter but it does matter, if you see what I mean.
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Donate items.
This is yet again another simple way to be kind. It also helps you to get uncluttered. Just reflect on the items which you or people in your house have not used for long. These can be books, clothes, bedsheets, toys, utensils which are old and not being utilised anymore. You can donate such items to schools, library, orphanage, old age homes or any other place where they can serve some purpose and people can use them. Just do it and see how it makes you feel.
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Do a task for your partner.
Life gets mundane even at home. You can add some newness to it by doing a task when it is not your turn or even if it is not your job at all. There are so many things that you can do and make your partner happy when they are least expecting it. Clean the kitchen or washroom, cook a meal, get the groceries, do the dishes if the maid didn’t turn up, wash the clothes. Anything. And just see the look on your partner’s face.
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Opt for car pool or public transportation.
One of the simplest things that you can do to express your care towards the environment. Choose public transportation more frequently for commuting even if you have your own car. Or if you still want to commute using your car then identify people in your locality who can go for car pool. It not only brings down the expenses for all parties involved but also brings down the pressure on the air that we breathe. After all, the earth is the only planet you can call home. So the onus of protecting and caring for the environment lies on every one of us.
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Sponsor education.
You can also show your kindness by simply paying for someone’s complete or partly education. It can be anyone like kids of your domestic help, office boy, society watchman or anybody else. If you cannot spend for complete school education, you can contribute in some other meaningful manner to share their load. Like paying for books and stationery items or paying for tuition fees or paying for just one quarterly school fees depending upon your capability. Sponsoring someone’s education is a brilliant act of kindness that brings light into other people’s world.
These are just 7 simple ways of expressing your kindness to those around you. There are so many other ways of doing it. If you really want to explore different ways of being kind then explore this beautiful App Black Lotus. It has a section called “Rak” meaning Random Act of Kindness which lays down various ways of being kind. What’s more? With every “Rak” that you log you get certain points so you can easily monitor your kindness quotient. You can also see the trending kindness stories which shows what acts of kindness the other users of the Black Lotus App are performing. It is totally free. You can download the App by clicking the link.
Get Started Now!
Android – https://bit.ly/Android-BlackLotus
iOS – http://bit.ly/ios-BlackLotus
For more info on the App visit: blacklotusapp.org
Be Kind! Change for Good!
Posted By- Mallika Pande