By Sarah Browning
Monday, November 13 is World Kindness Day. All around the world it is celebrated in different ways, from festivals to activities in schools, from personal actions to business initiatives.
As a kindness cheerleader myself, this day has become a Big Deal in my annual calendar.
If truth be told, I used to feel slightly conflicted about it, because to me every day should be kindness day.
However, on balance, I have decided it is a good thing to have this focal point that people can gather around.
Difficult times
There is no denying that we live in difficult and scary times. There are some truly horrifying things going on around the world, both closer to home and further away.
At times this can seem overwhelming and I, like many others, feel helpless in the face of it all.
But this also reinforces to me that we need to ensure we maintain some sort of balance. The dark stories are not the only story. There are positive things happening too.
Reminding ourselves of examples of kindness between people is a powerful way to rebalance the story we have of our world.
Time and again people tell me that reading about kindness gives them hope and makes them feel positive.
I believe that making a conscious choice to notice people being kind to each other is a way to take ownership of our worldview.
To bring the power of positivity into our lives so that we have the energy to share it with others.
Create human connections
Kindness is sometimes dismissed as being weak, a bit fluffy perhaps (and not in the good way that your favourite blanket might be).
But in reality, kindness is incredibly powerful because it connects us all as human beings. If we help a neighbour to bring in their bins on bin day or let a stranger in front of us with a couple of items at the supermarket, we instantly create a connection, however small.
More often than not we will exchange a small smile and a word with each other. Even if the smile and conversation are very brief, they do make us feel better for those few seconds or even longer.
Spread positivity and smiles
I’ve recently started running workshops to teach people how to notice kindness more often in the world around them.
As part of the session, we tell each other stories of kind things we have seen or participated in.
Every time we do, there is an increase of positive energy in the room. Noticing and sharing these stories makes us feel better.
This year I’ll be speaking at the global online festival KindFest 2023. There are a whole host of other speakers, all sharing the things that they do to bring kindness and positivity to the world.
With positivity we can diminish the power of the darkness together. World Kindness Day gives us a focus so we can make a choice and celebrate something which makes us smile.
Sarah Browning is a Kindness Cheerleader, Communicator and Strategist. For more inspiring stories of kindness, visit: www.timeforkindness.co.uk
