How Random Acts of Kindness Changed My Life

A Random Act of Kindness is the selfless act of doing something kind for somebody, without them asking and without expecting anything in return. It’s like sprinkling a little unexpected magic into someone’s day - and although you are doing it for the pure intuition of giving, there is a return… It feels amazing.

 

It was December 2017 when I first discovered Random Acts of Kindness. I was going through a really hard time, struggling with an eating disorder and poor mental health which seemed to be in an endless downward spiral. I was reading a book at the time, and I remember one sentence that sparked something within me. It said; “when you feel hopelessly lost in your own reality, take a moment to give a piece of yourself to someone else and let the gift of giving without expectation fill your soul with the joy you’re so desperate to find.”

I pulled out a notepad and pen and began to brainstorm every single random act of kindness I could think of.

How could I stop wallowing in self pity for just a moment, and do something to enrich someone else’s life? Our innate nature is to give. I’ve always believed that since we are born with nothing and we can’t take anything with us when we die, our purpose in this lifetime must be to give ourselves away in some beautiful capacity. The idea itself sparked an excitement and joy within me that I hadn’t felt for so long.

I decided to dedicate an entire week to random acts of kindness. I wrote over 200 love notes with positive messages and words of encouragement, and folded them up into envelopes. I also put money in some of them, and each day on my walk to work I’d post them through people’s letter boxes or leave them on random park benches. The feeling it gave me was like nothing else I’d ever experienced. I would literally skip to work with a beaming smile across my face. I was happier, I had more energy. For the first time in ages it felt as though my life had this beautiful little purpose, and that maybe these small acts of kindness had the power to ripple throughout the entire Universe.

I never got to see anyone open their envelope, or spend the money on something they needed, or witness the joy it brought to them - but I knew that the kindness was contagious.

A few weeks later, I was drinking coffee and working in my local café. When I went up to the counter to pay, the waitress told me that there was nothing to pay, because someone had already paid for me. She pointed to the corner of the coffee shop where an older lady was peacefully sipping her tea and smiling at me. My eyes filled with tears of gratitude as I walked over to give her a hug and say thank you. I could see how much joy it brought her to see my gratitude. She told me that it was her Random Act of Kindness for the day.

I spent the rest of the day feeling so inspired to help the people around me. I wanted to make sure that the old lady’s kindness also had the power to ripple throughout the entire Universe.

What if one simple act of kindness could start a chain reaction and touch the lives of a million people?