Random Acts of Kindness: A Lifestyle of Selfless Generosity!

Have you ever had the shock and pleasure of going through a grocery line, and found out through the cashier that someone paid for your groceries?  Or, have you experienced the kind act of an anonymous person that has ore-paid for your car’s gas?

How about a neighbor shoveling your elderly neighbor’s walkway, and you witnessing it through your window?  Not only do “random acts of kindness” positively affect the recipient of the act, but also the “doer”, and “witnesses” (you witnessing the act through your window)!

You see, random acts of kindness have positive ripple effects that flow out and touch many people in good ways.  Random acts of kindness don’t occur in a vacuum; they are like seeds of goodness that are directly and indirectly planted in the fertile soil of our lives. 

Hopefully, they blossom to become ideas and acts of kindness and generosity that can be randomly passed on to benefit others.

The definition of “random acts of kindness,” according to Wikipedia.com, states that “A random act of kindness is a non premeditated, inconsistent action designed to offer kindness towards the outside world.” Random acts of kindness are usually bestowed upon strangers; however, they can definitely be given to people we know.

In a 2017 article in Psychology Today.com called, “Why Random Acts of Kindness Matter to Your Overall Well-Being”, the authors note that:

“When we practice random acts of kindness,

• It releases positivity: We feel better and the recipients of our acts feel better, which then makes them more likely to be kind to other people.
• It can release neurochemicals that result in a sense of well-being, the “helper’s high,” as Allan Luks and Peggy Payne describe the healing power of doing good. In fact, the neural circuits that are involved in chemical “highs” are the same ones activated by kindness and compassion.
• It can reduce pain. Dopamine, serotonin, and endogenous opioids are released by kind behavior.
• It enhances the release of oxytocin in interactions where two or more people are engaged in kindness behavior. In turn, bonds between those who are kind to one another are strengthened.
• It enhances both physical and mental health. Many physical ailments are either precipitated by or aggravated by stress. Kindness reduces stress.

Kindness is a habit of giving—of wanting to lift burdens from others or to merely provide a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. It humanizes us; it lifts us spiritually. And it is good for us.

Interestingly, the simple witnessing of others being kind can release the same “feel good” chemicals that engaging in an act of kindness can produce. However, one can yield a greater benefit by being the performer of acts of kindness. Look for opportunities to be kind and count your acts of kindness. You will experience the rewards almost immediately. One act of small kindness can release an enormous chain of positive events. The miracle of kindness is that it is contagious and something we should all want to pass on and spread to many others.”

The term, “practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty” is attributed to author Anne Herbert. 

According to Wikipedia.com, she wrote the phrase on a placemat in Sausalito, California in 1982.

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Anne Herbert and co-author Margaret Paloma Pavel wrote the book Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty which was originally published in February 1993.

With beautiful illustrations, it provides inspiring acts of kindness and is recommended for readers of all ages. 

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is an amazing website dedicated solely to provide resources that teach the principle of random acts of kindness. The site provides free content that promotes kindness toward others and teaches important social and emotional learning skills to children and adults.

Also, their resources are free and downloadable.  They have resources for inspiring kindness, such as kindness ideas, quotes, a kindness blog, stories, and videos.  I encourage you to learn from, use, and pass this site along to others as a tool for spreading random acts of kindness!

No matter who we are, or where we come from, we all have so much to give!  No matter how small or supposedly insignificant we think our random act of kindness may be, that act will help and bless others – and ourselves – to continue kindness.  We all need it!

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