Before we hang up the phone with a loved one, we say “I love you.” Instagram is filled with captions expressing love to our friends. All 19 of the major religions are extremely distinct but all entail a similar concept, love. This word holds a nourishing meaning that for some odd reason, no other word seems to hold the same amount of nourishment.
If such a simple word can change aura so quickly, imagine what ACTS of love can do. This world would be, even more, of an enchanting place if we acted with kindness and compassion toward everybody.
Kindness is thinking about others before ourselves. It’s giving more than we take. It's looking out for the people around us regardless of insignificant barriers. It’s soft, warm, tender, and affectionate. Most important of all, its echoes are endless.
There are very few things in life that allow us to feel as much joy than when we lift someone, who can do nothing in return for us, up. Kindness allows us to feel a high that is almost impossible to feel elsewhere. It’s a reminder to others that we're all in this together. It's the most naked to the soul act a person can perform. Kindness is gentle; it's what makes this world extraordinary and it's power is immeasurable.
Time to act. Because doing something for 30 days makes a habit, my (untested) theory is that if we practice an act of love every day for 30 days, we will habitually follow this way of living. It is very simple acts of love that make the world a breathtakingly, magical place. Let’s find the spark.
Day 1: Smile at strangers and do it a lot. Life is full of many reasons to smile, remind others of that. Starting today, make it a self-duty to never let anybody come to you without leaving happier.
Day 2: Tell your parents that you love and appreciate them. I guarantee that you would not be as strong as you are without knowing that at the end of the day, someone has under-dying support and love towards you. They deserve to know you appreciate all of the mountains they selflessly move.
Day 3: Overuse compliments. Sometimes, we all just need a reminder of our strengths in order to keep going. Magnify people's strengths.
Day 4: Befriend someone you normally wouldn’t. Learn why their opinions are different from yours. You’ll become more accepting.
Day 5: Make it a habit to say good morning and good night to the people around you. It makes people feel cared for.
Day 6: Apologize first. Be the first to let go of an argument. Let’s face it, we’re all in the process of growing up and we make mistakes. As much as you want to be perfect, you're not perfect, accept it. Open-mindedly, take time to understand. And if you did something wrong, instead of beating yourself about it, sincerely apologize about your wrongdoings and actually change yourself where you were wrong. You're only human. It’s all a learning game.
Day 7: Hug a little tighter. Period.
Day 8: Make people laugh a little (or a lot). Personally, I think my favorite thing in this whole world to do is laugh. What's a better way to forget about the rough patches life throws at us than uncontrollable laughter? It's the moments that you're with your girlfriends, crying from laughing too hard that you'll cherish forever. Let it happen more often.
Day 10: Pay for whoever is taking you on a “date.” If someone is spending time to make you happy, find ways to make them just as happy as well. They are wonderful for doing so, reciprocate it. Surprise them and pay for them, even if it’s “their treat.” They'll leave feeling appreciated. It's also a reminder that you're both equal and that one does not have the responsibility to give more.
Day 11: See the good in everybody. (Every day). Everybody, yes everybody, has good traits that you can learn from. Train yourself to see the good in everybody. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Day 12: Have a normal conversation with a homeless person. Express inclusion to a fellow human being. They sometimes have more depth than most of your friends. Mostly, they just need to feel included.
Day 13: Be the bigger person: give the other driver your parking spot. You can walk a little extra from your parking lot, you won’t die (and you will feel so happy that you were nice).
Day 14: Date yourself today, and every day. Darling, don’t forget to love yourself. You're smart, kind, fun, beautiful and have so much to love about yourself. Learning to love yourself is one of the best parts of growing up, so learn it well. (Always wear your invisible crown. That being said, don't let it lose your humility.)
Day 15: Send a thank you text to all the people who have impacted your life. It's kind of weird, yeah but they deserve to know you're a better person because of them.
Day 16: Don't complain for 48 hours. I promise that you will be a more positive person to be around. Your life is not that bad... you know it.
Day 17: Starting today, schedule to dedicate your extra time to help an organization in need. Your time spent with an organization is usually more beneficial than any amount of money you donate. Take advantage, not for granted, of you being fortunate and make it to good use. Reality: you will not be genuinely happy if you don't make someone feel just as happy.
Day 18: Post an inspirational saying to social media. It's not attention-seeking or lame. It helps people remember that life is freaking awesome.
Day 19: Make direct use of your education. Offer to help students who are struggling in areas that you are succeeding it. Unfortunately, education is what creates a social divide, let's try and avoid it. Intelligence is sexy.
Day 20: Buy your coworkers donuts for no good reason. It’ll help make their work day manageable and maybe even improve work ethic so looking at the picture, maybe it'll benefit your boss as well.
Day 21: Pay for and leave a sweet note to the guy behind you in the Starbucks drive-thru. Cliche but pay it forward works.
Day 22: Make your roommates breakfast. Some days, living on your own can be hard so help if you end up waking up early.
Day 23: Ask others what you can do to help whenever you can. Just do it. Even if they don't have anything for you to do. It'll make them feel like they have someone to rely on if they need it.
Day 24: Offer to get a neighbor groceries, especially when the weather is bad.
Day 25: Go on a walk with your grandparents, if you can. No one in this world will teach you how to love more gently than they can. Learn from their selfless actions. It's truly an art. It'll also make them have something to look forward to; you're getting old but so are they.
Day 26: Go a day without spending any money. Go a day without spending any money. It will teach you how unconsciously you spend your money on unnecessary things. Obviously, your money is hard-earned but also remember that you don't need everything you buy. Donate when you can. Idea: every time you buy a new piece of clothing, donate an old piece. (It'll make your closet more manageable too so it's a win, win.)
Day 27: Walk somewhere walkable that you typically drive to. Our resources are so limited. It's important to be sustainable and kind to our environment. Let’s look out for future generations. Let's show love to the environment too!
Day 28: Treat your friends. First, your friends rock. They’re the reason your world goes round. Second, small treats like this can make your favorite people smile a little bigger.
Day 29: Always say please and thank you.
Day 30: "Listen like spring and talk like June." Meaning, listen full-heartedly and open-mindedly. Believe it or not, there's not a person you wouldn't like if you understood their story. Also, be a ray of sunshine by talking with only optimism and happiness. It will make others around you feel alive. It's intoxicating.
