“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” -Aesop
Recently I read about a research study that suggested kindness is literally contagious. According to Science Daily:
“When people benefit from kindness they ‘pay it forward’ by helping others who were not originally involved, and this creates a cascade of cooperation that influences dozens more in a social network.”
One simple act of generosity, consideration, or thoughtfulness can literally have a domino affect, eventually touching people you may never meet. In a very real way, a simple act of kindness can expand your positive impact on the world beyond the limitations of your individual reach.
We might not be able to see it or measure it, but if we all make a conscious choice to be kind, we can create the kind of world we want to live in, starting with ourselves.
I recently contributed to the Kindness Manifesto, a free download available on TheBridgeMaker.com that includes 132 ideas to make kindness a daily habit. My suggestions included:
- Listen without forming an opinion or judgment.
- Give without expecting something in return.
- Help without feeling or acting superior.
- Be willing to say no if it’s the best thing you can do.
- Be kind to yourself–it’s the first step in being kind to everyone else
How do you spread kindness around you?
About Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, c-PTSD, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others to do the same. You can find her books, including Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal and Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, here and learn more about her eCourse, Recreate Your Life Story, if you’re ready to transform your life and become the person you want to be.
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Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 
Kindness is the best thing you can do —foryourself.
To give without expectation is freeing yourself to see all the good that come your way every day.
I love what Michael Wenger of San Francisco Zen Center says: Do something for someone you love: Don’t [presume to] know them too well.
i concur: kind acts expand positive impact on world beyond limitations of individual reach (toward oneself & toward others). ~ sarah nean bruce
I love this – I went to a talk with David Hamilton PhD (who wrote “why kindness is good for you”).
The talk was about his new book coming out in a few months. Contagious kindness, plus contagious thinking were some of the main topics we discussed.
Did you know that being kinder could be causing your sisters, bestfriend’s hairdresser to be kinder? It’s fascinating! And wonderful to know that the way we lead our lifes has a direct effect (on average to 3 degrees of separation) on the people we connect with (and the people they connect with etc).
Brilliant post!x