Being kind sounds so easy, but often we are so caught up in life’s activities that we forget to extend a helping hand. Simple things such as opening the door for someone, or helping a neighbor move are all opportunities to make someone’s life a little easier.
Random Acts of Kindness week is coming up on February 14th, and in order to prepare you for that, Shari’s Berries has come up with a random acts of kindness generator. Simply click on a category in the top row and their generator will provide a fun idea for the day. There are over 50 ideas, so enough for being kind all year long!
When I think of the month of February, the first thing that comes into my mind is Valentine’s Day. And when I think of Valentine’s Day, I am reminded of love. So, I thought it might be fun to challenge myself and my family to spread our love during the month by performing at least one act of kindness each day.
When I first suggested the idea to my family in 2014, they were all really excited. I’m sure their excitement probably had something to do with me mentioning a reward at the end if we were able to complete it, but the real reward turned out to be the experience in itself. We have taken the challenge every year since, and I can see this tradition being one that we will continue for a long time to come!
I invite you to join us and many others in spreading love and kindness all month! Feel free to make up your own rules, or follow our guidelines below.
Act of Kindness Challenge Guidelines:
Prepare. Print out this February 2018 Acts of Kindness Logfor each member of your family. Use it to record your acts of kindness throughout the month. Also keep track of the acts of kindness performed toward you each day. You might be surprised to actually see how many nice things people do for each other each day. 🙂 We put ours on the refrigerator so it stays in view and is easy to remember.
Identify a Reward to keep You Motivated. If you are taking the challenge with others, take a vote to see how you want to reward yourselves once you have completed the challenge! In the past, we have rewarded ourselves by going out to dinner together as a family (something we usually only reserve for birthdays or special occasions.) Come up with something that works for you and your family and that will motivate you to complete the challenge. Don’t skip this step. This is the step that keeps my kids motivated to keep going throughout the challenge.
Spread your love! Each day in February, perform at least one act of kindness and write it down on the log. Try to come up with something different each day. My definition of an Act of Kindness is: any action you take to brighten someone’s day without expecting anything in return. Also, write down any acts of kindness others performed toward you.
Encourage each other and keep each other accountable. Each day, share your ideas with your family members or loved ones who are also participating in the challenge. Talk about the acts of kindness you performed. Also, feel free to share your ideas and inspiration in our February Acts of Kindness Challenge Facebook group so we can continue to support and encourage each other and keep each other accountable.
When the month is over, share what you learned from the experience. Feel free to join our February Acts of Kindness Challenge Facebook group and share your stories with us there as well!
REWARD YOURSELF!! Don’t skip this step, either. For many of us, the real reward is the experience in itself, but make sure to recognize your accomplishment and follow through on the reward you set in step 2.
I invite you to join us in this challenge and spread your love. It only takes a small act to make a big impact. Let’s make a difference together! “Like” the Facebook page February Acts of Kindness Challenge for inspirational stories and quotes each day, or join the Facebook support group at February Acts of Kindness Challenge to share your ideas and inspiration. 🙂
Feel free to do more than one Act of Kindness a day. Don’t be afraid to write them all down. You may already do several acts of kindness each day without even realizing it. The point here is to become aware of all the good things you already do and realize the impact it has on others. You may also want to try to take it a step further and do some things you normally wouldn’t do. When we make a small effort to brighten someone’s day out of love (not obligation), we are rewarded with happiness. Anything done out of obligation is not an act of love and will only cause you to feel resentment. It doesn’t matter whether your acts of kindness are random or intentional, but to honor your own self-care, please make sure they are performed out of love.
As you perform more acts of kindness, you may also notice yourself becoming the recipient of more acts of kindness. Learn to accept these gifts with gratitude. Many times it is more challenging for us to receive than it is to give. We may resist acts of kindness toward us because we may feel like we will owe the other person, but when you let people do nice things for you, you are actually giving them a gift. Learning how to let others help you might be just what you need to learn from this challenge…I know from previous years it was exactly what I needed to learn.
The Letter Writer is an inspiring movie about kindness. It is a great reminder of the impact our actions have on others, and the difference one act of kindness can make. Check out the trailer here.
Patch Adams – The true story of a heroic man, Hunter “Patch” Adams, determined to become a medical doctor because he enjoys helping people. He ventured where no doctor had ventured before, using humour and pathos. View the trailer here.
The February Acts of Kindness Challenge is a challenge I began on this blog last year to help spread kindness during the entire month of February. It was such a rewarding experience for me and my family, we have decided to do it again this year! I invite you to join us and many others in spreading love and kindness all month! The guidelines are below.
When I think of the month of February, the first thing that comes into my mind is Valentine’s Day. And when I think of Valentine’s Day, I am reminded of love. So I thought it might be fun to challenge myself and my family to spread our love this month by performing at least one act of kindness each day. When I suggested the idea to my family, they were all really excited. I’m sure their excitement probably had something to do with me mentioning a reward at the end if we were able to complete it, but I know the real reward will be in the experience itself.
Act of Kindness Challenge Guidelines:
1. I have made this February Acts of Kindness Log for each member of my family to record our acts of kindness throughout the month. I printed it out for each family member and put it on the refrigerator. Feel free to download and print it out as well if you would like to keep a record of your progress. 🙂
2. Each day in February, perform at least one act of kindness and write it down on the log. My definition of an Act of Kindness is: any action you take to brighten someone’s day without expecting anything in return.
3. Share your acts of kindness with your loved ones who are also participating in the challenge, or share your ideas and inspiration on February Acts of Kindness Challenge so we can continue to support and encourage each other.
4. When the month is over, share what you learned with each other.
5. REWARD YOURSELF!! This is the most important step off all! If you are taking the challenge with others, take a vote to see how you want to reward yourselves!
I invite you to join us in this challenge and spread your love. It only takes a small act to make a big impact. Let’s make a difference together! “Like” the Facebook page February Acts of Kindness Challenge or join the Facebook support group at February Acts of Kindness Challenge to share your ideas and inspiration. 🙂
Feel free to do more than one Act of Kindness a day. Don’t be afraid to write them all down. You may already do several acts of kindness each day without even realizing it. The point here is to become aware of all the good things you already do and realize the impact it has on others. You may also want to try to take it a step further and do some things you normally wouldn’t do. When we make a small effort to brighten someone’s day out of love (not obligation), we are rewarded with happiness. Anything done out of obligation is not an act of love and will only cause you to feel resentment. It doesn’t matter whether your acts of kindness are random or intentional, but to honor your own self-care, please make sure they are performed out of love.
As you perform more acts of kindness, you may also notice yourself becoming the recipient of more acts of kindness. Learn to accept these gifts with gratitude. Many times it is more challenging for us to receive than it is to give. We may resist acts of kindness toward us because we may feel like we will owe the other person, but when you let people do nice things for you, you are actually giving them a gift.
Check out the inspiring movie, The Letter Writer. It is a great reminder of the impact our actions have on others, and the difference one act of kindness can make.
If you’re stuck for ideas, a simple way to make someone’s day is to download a Care Card from You Matter. #YouMatter is a grassroots movement that aims to promote positive mental health through acts of caring. Telling someone they matter can have a greater impact than we may know!
There are four easy steps to participate in #YouMatter:
2) Write a message of caring, friendship or appreciation.
3) Snap a picture of your card and share on social media using the hashtag #youmatter and tag us @youmatterbc to inspire others.
4) Give the Care Card to someone and make that person’s day!
Do YOU have any kindness ideas, quotes, videos, or inspiration you would like to share? Feel free to leave them in a comment below or share them on the February Acts of Kindness Challenge Facebook support group. Thank you! 🙂
