Today is World Kindness Day
My spiritual idol, The Dalai Lama, says:
“When we feel love and kindness towards others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace”.
Very wise words.
And my Grandmother, who always encouraged the attitude of kindness without expecting something in return, would wholeheartedly agree. The best way to make kindness a habit is by pledging to be a Kindness Ninja.
Who is a Kindness Ninja?
You cannot see the Ninja. But you can see or feel the kindness the ninja brings to the world.
You will not see a kindness ninja showing off, because her goal is to make others happy without expecting anything in return.
Kindness ninjas believe in the power of kindness to spread happiness. This unifies the world, cultivating positive leadership, and human connection.
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see ~ Mark Twain
So, how to be a kindness ninja?
Register for the Kindness challenge.
As a practising Kindness Ninja, here are my suggestions. I am sure you can add a few hundred more!
- Smile at someone at the supermarket
- Leave an encouraging message on the windshield of a random car
- Bring coloring books and crayons to children hospital
- Spend time with people at your local home for the elderly
- Compliment the first person you see today
- Share your cab with someone for free
- Teach someone something
- Donate your skills & talents to people who need it
- Write a nice note on the back of the bill
- Help someone with their heavy bags
- Comfort someone in distress, if only by holding hands or with an hug
- Visit a local hospice and spend some time, listening, chatting
- Tell a street performer how amazing he or she is
- Post inspiring post-its for strangers to find around the city
- Write an inspiring message with chalk on a sidewalk
- Make a helpful introduction
- Smile and wave from your bus window to someone riding to the opposite direction
- Stand at a public place and hand out short encouraging notes.
- Give up your seat to someone in the public transport
- Leave an inspirational note in a library book
- Hold up a sign saying ‘You are perfect’ on the side of the road
- Donate books you have read to a library
- Leave flowers on someone’s doorstep
- Put a kind note into a random mailbox
- Let someone go in front of you at the checkout line
- Give high-fives to people going opposite direction on escalator
- Make a video to cheer someone up
- Offer to take a picture for tourists
- Pick up trash around the park, beach or your block
- Offer your friend / neighbor to pet walk
- Invite your neighbor over for a meal
- Read a book to someone
- Make kindness stones and leave them at a park
- Help an elderly person or someone in need to cross the street
- Write a hand written note of appreciation to someone you care about
- Ask an elderly person to tell their life story
- Offer a couple of hours of free babysitting to parents
- Bring a treat to a retirement house
- Make someone laugh
- Eat lunch with someone new
- Apologize to someone you have wronged
- Compliment someone to their boss
- Forgive someone and never bring the issue up again
- Sign up to volunteer at a non-profit
- Send a message to someone just to wish good morning or good night
- Donate your unused clothes
- Send a post card to a long lost friend
- Give away balloons to kids you meet on the street
- Say ‘thank you’ to a bus driver
- Do a favor to your busiest friend
- Call a homeless shelter, ask what they need and bring it
- Write to partner/best friend a list of what you love about them
- Plant a flower in a public area
- Thank your father / uncle for something he has tought you
- Send a greetings cards to lonely people at the retirement / nursing home / sick children’s hospital
- Call your parents or family and say you love them
- Send a compliment to a person you don’t really get along with
- Tell your mother / aunt what you appreciate her for
- Leave a positive review about your favorite place
- Give a small gift to someone, just because
- Put up a “Take a smile!” tear-off poster
- Allow someone to help you
- Donate pet food to a local animal shelter
- Invite someone who is alone over for dinner
- Write a reference for someone even if they are not looking for a job now
- Call an elder relative and let them know you wanted to hear their voice
- Buy someone a coffee
- Thank a policeman or fireman for the work they do to keep all of us safe
- Give someone a gratitude journal to collect their happy moments in
- Pause, to help someone with something, even if you’re in a rush
- Gift life. Pledge your organs/eyes
- Send a message to someone saying you’re thinking about them
- Tell someone you are proud of them
- Give a flower to a stranger
- Leave a treat at a neighbor’s doorstep anonymously
- Call a person you haven’t spoken to for a while
- Write a thank you letter to someone who made a difference in your life
- Stop to have a conversation with a homeless person
- Make a thank you sign for trash collectors and leave it on your trash bins
- Send a letter / postcard to someone who needs support now
- Donate a toy or table game to an orphanage
- Set out seeds for the birds
- Help a friend to pursue their passion / hobby / what they are good at
- Tape signs to bathroom mirrors that say – “You are beautiful!”
- Help a mother with her baby stroller
- Bring coffee to someone studying in the library
- Leave a bouquet at the hospital – the nurses know who needs it the most
- Write someone a silly yet encouraging poem
- Thank the people close to you for simply being who they are
- Send a message to a friend sharing your favorite memory of them
- Email or visit an old teacher or mentor, and thank them for all they did for you
- Donate blood
- Help someone to make their wish come true
- Bring flowers to the maternity hospital to congratulate new parents
- Do an act of kindness to yourself
- Listen to the stranger’s story about their happiest moment in life
- Kiss your Mom’s hand, or the hand of someone you love
- Spread the word about the cause you believe in
- Create your own act of kindness and perform it
- Challenge your friends to take this kindness challenge
Cool, eh?
My religion is very simple – my religion is kindness ~ The Dalai Lama
Are you ready to be a Kindness Ninja?
29 comments
All lovely ideas, Vidya 🙂 I’d add ‘Express your kindness to your online friends’ to this list as well 🙂 Since so many of our interactions happen in the digital world, there is so much we have to be thankful for. Always grateful for the kindness that blogging has brought my way.
Happy World Kindness Day to you as well. Hope you had a lovely day, Kindness Ninja. Such a cute term!
Shailaja Vishwanath recently posted…Life as a parenting blogger: A special session
Well said. Thank you, Shailaja. Stay blessed! Yes, “Kindness Ninja” is cute and I enjoy being one.
Vidya Sury recently posted…About Coffee Beans, Cappuccino Makers and Me
I wish we lived close to each other.
Dearest Christine, Thanks to the internet, we can: would you like to connect via email, or chat? ❤️
Vidya Sury recently posted…If I had only listened!
Yes email. I also have my work email:. cduval@flytucson.com. I’m also on face book. Christine Duval. Tucson Az
So many fun ideas here, Vidya. It’s amazing how being kind to others, lifts our own spirits too. This is just what the world needs right now.
Sandra Pawula recently posted…How to Heal from Feeling Rejected By a Loved One
It’s really not hard to be kind Vidya…and I love the simple ideas you share to remind us we can all be kinder than necessary and make the world a much lovelier place. 🙂
I have been waiting for this day all year, but I haven’t been myself since my sister died in March. I even had a clear stamp made that says World Kindness Day and I haven’t done one thing or made a card. So pathetic of myself. Hopefully next year I’ll be better.
Dearest Christine, I am so sorry to hear about your sister. Our loved ones live in our hearts and lives forever. I felt the way you did when my Mom passed away suddenly, 6 years ago. I’ve learned to cope–I started another blog to reminisce, as I had no one to talk to.
One thing I’ve learned is: never wait for an auspicious day to do something, Christine. You know, we postpone festivals when one of us in the family is traveling or away, and celebrate only when we’re together. I want to see your stamp ❤️ May I suggest something? How about beginning by being kind to yourself? Wrap your arms around you, tell yourself “I love you” and think about three pleasant things or experiences you cherish. Don’t wait for next year. Sending you warm hugs and love.
Vidya Sury recently posted…If I had only listened!
Thank you so much. That night I went to church. By spur of moment I did you an act of kindness when I walked into a little market and there was a young homeless guy with his dog on his lap and the dog was pretty big and I thought for being on his lap and I thought I’m going to get the dog a treat but they didn’t have any regular dog treats in the little store and I told the girl the cashier I said I wanted to get that dog out there something to eat but there’s no dog treats she said you could get him a hot dog and I said yeah so I bought a hot dog and when I went outside and gave it to the dog he jumped down and was whining he was so cute and so happy so that really made my day
Great list here! The world can certainly benefit from more care and kindness!
My religion is kindness too.Being a kindness ninja is needed urgently .
I am going to try to be one.Great list
That’s great, Amrita! ❤️ Let me know how it goes!
Vidya Sury recently posted…If I had only listened!
Perfect title -loved it dear Vidya – and very inspiring indeed- I’m ready to be a kindness ninja!!Hugs
Eli recently posted…The sweetest nectar is within
Wonderful, Eli! High-five to you, fellow Ninja!
Vidya Sury recently posted…If I had only listened!
I’d love to be a kindness ninja. That was quite an exhaustive list but each of them sound doable. I loved the idea of leaving post-its around with messages on them for strangers to find. How exciting?! Will give it a shot soon. ?
Yeah, they’re all so easy to do, aren’t they? Even one a day would make it a continuous stream of kindness! I’d love to know how it goes for you, Vinodini!
Vidya Sury recently posted…If I had only listened!
What a wonderful list of suggestions for becoming a “Kindness Ninja.” (I love that!) I especially like the idea to send a handwritten note , letter, or postcard. Isn’t getting mail just wonderful? There are so many people that I could send something to. Thanks for the reminder!
Debbie L Hampton recently posted…5 Ways To Improve Your Mental Health
Thank you Debbie! It is so easy to be kind–it only takes a gentle shift in the way we see the world. Hugs!
Vidya Sury recently posted…How to be a Kindness Ninja #WorldKindnessDay #KindnessNinja
I really feel bad to have not read you till recently Vidhya! I love your kindness list. I personally feel that what you give comes back to you, love and kindness too follows this same route. I like to write, and I do a lot of writing in my note books, that I save as very precious belongings.
menaka bharathi recently posted…Simple Indian Moms Focus – Blogger Romila
Welcome, Menaka. Hugs! Let’s keep in touch now. It is always a good day to meet someone you like! How wonderful that you write in your notebooks! I do that too and just enjoy the feel of the pen flowing on paper. Also, it is not always comfortable to pour all our thoughts online, and journaling helps a great deal. I look forward to seeing you more often! Happy to connect with you.
Vidya Sury recently posted…If I had only listened!
Being kind opens our heart to love and you have shared so many simple ways we can do this Vidya , just love your images have pinned one and shared.
Suzie Cheel recently posted…Branding Breakthrough: Yes, Do Be True, Brand You!
I’d love to be a Kindness Ninja too as the thoughts you shared are so doable. Kindness is something that should come naturally to us. It makes us not only happy but leaves a lasting impression on the receiver too.
Wow, what a brilliant compilation of the loveliest ideas! Isn’t it really so simple…these tiny acts of kindness can indeed brighten someone’s day. I always think the simplest things are most rare to find, especially kindness. Love this post Vidya. Stay blessed. Love and hugs 🙂
Kala Ravi recently posted…The Influencer – What would we do without you?
Wow what a lovely compilation NAd all of them are simple things we can do in our daily lives to bring cheer to anybody. I must keep a print out of this, probably stick it on my wardrobe or wall to remind myself a couple of points everyday!!!
Love love love these ideas and all the beauty that is YOU that you shared in this post Vidya! Made me all warm and fuzzy 🙂
xoxo, Z~
Zeenat Merchant Syal recently posted…5 Positive and Simple Tips to Regain Inner Peace
such a cool compilation! and the best part is they are all so doable. That’s the thing about kindness, doesn’t take a lot and yet we forget to give.
This is such a beautiful post and as you know something I needed right now when I have been worrying. You lighten my life, thank you xx Today I brought groceries for a friend who couldn’t leave her home and she insisted on paying me but I did’t take her money, sometimes it is so nice to help a friend and that is payment enough #mg
I can manage a few but what an exhaustive list!!!!