WAKE UP TO KINDNESS and LOVE

We should never be too busy to say ‘thank-you’ whenever someone does something kind.  It is not difficult to acknowledge the kindness that others do.  We all appreciate being thanked for the good things we do.  Creating change and inspiring people to do random acts of kindness is not a hard thing to do.  Spreading kindness into the world can be as simple as opening the door for someone or saying ‘thanks’ when someone opens the door for you. 

Too many of us are so preoccupied with trivial things that we become desensitized to just being human and being kind.  It is good to be reminded that there are more important things in the world than celebrity gossip, negative local, national and international news stories and other meaningless junk that we really shouldn’t care about.

I challenge you to perform an act of kindness and love for the rest of the month.  Inspire others and set goals that make you feel good.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

MAKE YOURSELF HAPPY

Why wait for others to make you happy?  People are so adamant in ensuring that you know when others have made them upset or angry but, not many of us want to share those moments that have made us really happy.  I find that people are so much more interested in hearing about that things that have shock value or that make them feel like they  are relaying pertinent information.  Gossip and stories that have shock value have no value because everyone already knows those stories.  So, why not start a new trend and share stories that make you feel good and make others feel good?

So, where do you get these ‘feel good’ stories?  Instead of searching for them on the internet, which I would recommend, why not create them yourself by being the instrument that is spreading the happiness.  Here are some things that you can do to bring a smile and happiness into your life and the lives of others:

  • Give a homeless person $20 or take them into a restaurant and buy them a meal.
  • Contact a local animal shelter and ask them if they need one of your old computers, printers, televisions, old furniture, or anything else and donate it to them.
  • Contact a local women`s shelter and do the same – offer them women`s clothing, baby clothes, etc.
  • The above 2 points apply to any type of not-for-profit, they are always looking for donations.
  • If you have any extra money – donate it to help the environment or other not-for-profits that create positive change in the world, great organizations like; Peta, Greenpeace, WWF, 350.org, ACT, etc.
  • Volunteer and share your volunteering experience.
  • Hand out random `thank you`cards to strangers with a message that they are appreciated and loved.

I have done most of the things listed above – which brought me so much joy and pleasure.  Why should I not share that experience and feeling with others so that they can experience the same things?

My spouse shared a story with me that swelled my heart and made me so happy.  This reinforced how much kindness and generosity he has in his heart:

He was having a cup of coffee in the Second Cup (a local coffee house) when a girl came in and was enthusiastically commenting on a piece of cake that was in one of their displays.  She asked the employee how much it was and realized it was too much for her.  She indicated that the cake was worth it but that she could not buy it.  She said thanks and was about to leave.  Jason approached her and asked if it was okay if could buy the piece of cake for her.  She hesitated, so he Jason asked the employee for the cake and bought it for this stranger.  The young lady was so appreciative and grateful that she said because of Jason’s kindness, she would return the favour to someone else when she was able.

These are the stories that should inspire us to continue to initiate random acts of kindness.  They provide us with feelings of joy, happiness and fill your heart with love.  Forget celebrity gossip or news of current world events.  Let the stories of positivity and joy contaminant the hearts of everyone you touch.  Let these stories lead you to whatever happiness and fulfilment you are seeking.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

AN AMAZING EXAMPLE OF KINDNESS…

An excerpt from the Dr. Wayne W. Dyer book “The Power of Intention” in relation to how kindness is shown:

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled children.  Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional schools.  At a Chush fundraiser dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.  After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, “Where is the perfection in my son, Shaya?  Everything God does is done with perfection.  But my child cannot understand things as other children do.  Where is God’s perfection?”  The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father’s anguish, and stilled by the piercing query.  “I believe,” the father answered, “that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child.”  He then told the following story about his son, Shaya.

One afternoon Shaya and his father walked past a park where some boys Shaya knew were playing baseball.  Shaya asked, “Do you think they’ll let me play?”  Shaya’s father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team.  But Shaya’s father understood that if his son was chosen to play, it would give him a sense of belonging.  Shaya’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shaya could play.  The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates.  Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, “We’re losing by six runs, and the game is in the eight inning.  I guess he can be on our team, and we’ll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning.”

Shaya’s father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly.  Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play in centre field.  In the bottom of the eight inning, Shaya’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.  In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya’s team scored again, and now had two outs and the bases loaded, with the potential winning run on base, Shaya was scheduled to be up.  Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?  Surprisingly, Shaya was given the bat.  Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shaya didn’t even know hot to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it.  However, as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya could at least be able to make contact.  The first pitch came in, and Shaya swung clumsily and missed.  One of Shaya’s teammates came up to Shaya, and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch.  The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shaya.  As the pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung the bat, and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher.  The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman.  Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game.  Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field far beyond the reach of the first baseman.  Everyone started yelling, “Shaya, run to first.  Run to first.”  Never in his life had Shaya run to first.  He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled.  By the time he reached first base, the right-fielder had the ball.  He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was still running.  But the right-fielder understood what the pitcher’s intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head.  Everyone yelled, “Run to second, run to second.”  Shaya ran toward second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward home.  As Shaya reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, “Run to third.”  As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, “Shaya run home.”  Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate, and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a “grand slam” and won the game for his team.

“That day,”  said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, “those 18 boys reached their level of God’s perfection.”

This story is an excellent example of pure kindness perpetuated by a group of young boys.  We could learn so much from this incident.  We are approaching ‘random acts of kindness’ week.  Let us create more wonderful stories of kindness, love and respect by being kind to one another – don’t expect anything in return, just be kind and let your kindness infect those around you thus infecting everyone in the universe.

***You can purchase Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s book ‘The Power of Intention:  Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way’ via Hay House – http://www.hayhouse.com  You can also visit Dr. Wayne W. Dyers website for latest information, tours, etc at  http://www.drwaynedyer.com

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

 

ACTS OF KINDNESS

This time of year, many people make plans and think about what they can buy for their loved ones – but how many of us think about doing something for the sake of being kind?  I challenge you all to think about doing something for someone else this year – a neighbour, the homeless, the hungry, an animal shelter, the environment, our planet or even for ourselves.  Imagine the gratification in committing random acts of kindness, not just at this time of the year but as often as you can.  Some random acts of kindness don’t even cost money – they just require creative thinking.
 
Different ways to commit acts of kindness:
  • Ask the person behind you in the lunch line if you can buy their lunch
  • Ask an elderly neighbour  if they need a ride anywhere
  • Call your local animal shelter and ask them if they have a ‘donation wish list’ – if they do, buy something from their wish list or give them money
  • Clean out your closet and donate any unwanted clothing to a homeless shelter/women’s shelter
  • Get a group of friends together and pick up bottles/cans/garbage from your local park and recycle them
  • Hold the door open for people
  • Say “please” and “thank you”
  • Coordinate a neighbourhood toy drive and deliver it to a hospital or fire-station
  • Help someone to cross the street
  • Give or buy a blanket for someone who is homeless
  • Adopt an animal from a local shelter and give it the unconditional love it will give you
  • Have a yard/garage sale and donate the money to the charity of your choice
  • Collect stuffed animals from friends and family and deliver a children’s hospital
  • Ask friends and family to buy socks/shoes and distribute them to the homeless

There are so many things that we can do to support those who are less fortunate than us – all you need is a little time, creativity and the desire to spread love, compassion and joy into the world.  You don’t have to limit your acts of kindness to people – there are so many not-for-profit agencies that require donations to help animals and our environment, such as;

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (P.E.T.A.) www.peta.org , WWF (World Wid Fund for Nature or World Wildlife Fund) www.wwf.ca, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) www.cpaws.org , Greenpeace www.greenpeace.org or lookup up the address of your local environmental or animal group and make a donation to them.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!