Make Kindness the Norm #RandomActsOfKindnessDay

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Ever have days when the whole world seems upside down and off-kilter?

Well, you can change that and you can do it in less than a minute!

How?

• Grab a piece of paper
• Write down your name and the name of someone you know.
• Then leave a blank space for a stranger's name.

Now, during the upcoming week do something kind for each person on your list. (That includes you!)

It could be anything!

Maybe it's treating yourself to something you love, or helping your neighbor with the groceries or complimenting someone you don't know.

That's it!

Seems simple, right?

Scientific studies show that random acts of kindness actually improve health and life satisfaction. They increase energy, optimism, self-worth, and our sense of belonging and connection in the world.

In addition, they decrease anxiety, depression, and blood pressure.

This transformation happens not only in the recipient and the giver of kindness but surprisingly also in the person who happens to see the act of kindness.

This means that if you do one act of kindness for one person today and someone happens to witness it, you can, in that moment, improve the lives of three people!

Talk about a win-win-win situation!

So do something that will make your future self proud!

Share the power of kindness with all three people on your list and who knows if we get enough people practicing enough kindness, we might just set the world right again!

As a #RAKtivist, I have one hundred suggestions to inspire you to perform random acts of kindness during Random Acts of Kindness week, which is 18-22 Feb.

100 Random Acts of Kindness to perform this week! Make Kindness the norm! #RandomActsOfKindnessWeek Click To Tweet

Remember, age no bar!

Clearly, kindness makes the world go around.

100 Random Acts of Kindness

1. Thank a family member for something they've done.
2. Compliment a loved one.
3. Apologize sincerely to a family member you've hurt.
4. Do a family member's chores for them.
5. Listen to a loved one speak without interrupting.
6. Drop a letter in the mail addressed to a family member.
7. Take a friend to dinner.
8. Surprise a couple with a date night.
9. Rake the leaves for a neighbor.
10. Shovel a friend's driveway after a snowstorm.
11. Mow someone else's lawn for free.
12. Water a neighbor's flowers.
13. Read to an elderly person with failing eyesight.
14. Wash the windows for a neighbor with mobility problems.
15. Run errands with a senior citizen.
16. Send a heartfelt letter to a good friend.
17. Buy your friend a small trinket.
18. Give a gift certificate for a massage or haircut to a friend.
19. Run errands for a friend or loved one so they can enjoy a day off.
20. Have a family over to your house for game night.
21. Make a 'feel better' basket for someone that's ill. Include a cup of hot soup and a bottle of Ginger Ale.
22. Leave random notes for others to find.
23. Place extra coins in the parking meter for the next person.
24. Volunteer to read to kids at your local library.
25. Put together care kits and keep them in your car. Pass them out to strangers stuck in the elements all day like the homeless, police officers directing traffic, or public service workers.
26. Tape change to a vending machine.
27. Pay for the coffee of the next person in line.
28. Visit the elderly in a nursing home.
29. Invite a stranger to sit with you at lunch.
30. Send a neighbor flowers.
31. Return someone else's shopping cart to the store.
32. Let someone else go ahead of you in line.
33. Throw a baby shower for a broke mom.
34. Buy an extra umbrella and give it to someone else next time it rains.
35. Pay for the movie ticket of the next person in line.
36. Surprise a loved one with breakfast in bed.
37. Donate gently used toys or clothes to a family in need.
38. Hold the elevator for someone else.
39. Contribute to a cause.
40. Buy a coffee for the security guard where you work.
41. Offer to carry the groceries to the car for an elderly person.
42. Leave a 50% tip next time you eat at a restaurant.
43. Go to a pond and feed the ducks.
44. Pay the toll for the car behind yours.
45. Donate food to your local food pantry.
46. Bake cookies for the janitor where you work.
47. Send stickers in the mail to a young child you know.
48. Write a poem for a friend that's feeling blue.
49. Bake your favorite dessert and take it to the nurses' station at your local hospital.
50. Hold the door for someone else.
51. Help an elderly person cross the road.
52. Send mail to soldiers that are far from home
53. Give a co-worker a big chocolate bar.
54. Leave change near a wishing fountain for someone else to find.
55. Call an old friend just to chat.
56. Wash your neighbor's car.
57. Put together a box of old Halloween costumes so kids can play dress up.
58. Pay for the haircut of someone behind you.
59. Buy a pool pass for a family you know.
60. Take coloring books and crayons to the pediatric wing of your local hospital.
61. Donate to a diaper bank
62. Bring extra coupons to the store and pass them out to other customers.
63. Make an extra lunch and give it to a co-worker that's struggling financially.
64. Pass out food vouchers to homeless people you meet.
65. Put a special gift in the mailbox for your mail carrier.
66. Stop and offer to help next time you see a stranded motorist.
67. Give up your seat to someone else that's standing.
68. Collect teddy bears and give them to your local police or fire station. These bears will comfort upset kids.
69. Put a sweet note in your spouse's or child's lunchbox.
70. Tell the manager how friendly your waiter or waitress was.
71. Brag about a family member or friend's talents in a group setting (they'll glow!).
72. Write a thank you note to someone who's changed your life.
73. Help a shopper in the parking lot who's lost their car.
74. Take a meal to a senior citizen
75. Do laundry for a family member or friend.
76. Buy some balloons and hand them out for free.
77. Play a board game with a child.
78. Drop off toys and snacks at your local shelter to be given to the guests.
79. Donate old craft supplies to a day care or church.
80. Purchase lottery tickets and give them to strangers.
81. Tell the young mom with kids at the grocery store that she's doing a good job.
82. Donate cat or dog food to an animal shelter in your area.
83. Pay a handyman to do a few things for your friend.
84. Make a scrapbook filled with memories for someone who's just lost a loved one.
85. Carry gift cards for gas or coffee and slip them into someone else's bag.
86. Write a letter of recommendation for a co-worker.
87. Buy a book of knock, knock jokes and give it to a child.
88. Bring cupcakes to work and hand them out.
89. Write a letter to someone you know who's homebound.
90. Ask someone how their day is going and pause to really listen
91. Donate several copies of your favorite book to your local library.
92. Look for a wallflower and strike up a conversation.
93. Offer to sit with an aging parent so your friend or co-worker can have a break.
94. Volunteer your time to help a family that's moving.
95. 100. Donate blood to save a life.
96. Buy a candy bar for the cashier ringing up your items.
97. Give someone else the credit at work.
98. At the laundromat, leave quarters and some detergent.
99. Purchase travel size bottles of shampoo, soaps, and toothbrushes to give to your local shelter.
100. Get in touch with your old school teachers and thank them for investing in you.

If you have more, please do share them in the comments!

What Random Acts of Kindness will you perform today? ♥