Kindness to Oneself Ideas
- Take a bubble bath by candlelight
- Go for walk
- Take yourself out on an artistic date to a place you have been putting off such as a museum or art gallery.
- Buy yourself flowers
- Work in nature and plant a small garden
- Treat yourself to a massage or spa day
- Buy a journal and starting writing
- Take a painting, ceramics, or pottery course
- Take a laughter workshop or stand up comedy course
- Create a gentle surrounding with music
- Celebrate who you are!
- Read a book or magazine that appeals to you
- Ask for what you want
- Write a thank you note to someone special in your life
- Refrain from magnifying your small problems
- Read How Not to Sweat the Small Stuff at Work by...Leave the housework and play with your children
- Treat yourself to a weekend away
- Paint, draw or doodle a picture of how you are 'feeling'. Get involved in your company's 'wellness' program
- Buy your pet a special treat and take them for a walk
- Learn how to relax through meditation or creative visualization
- Take a journal writing course
- Cut down on your coffee intake and drink more water
- Take a well-earned vacation
- List all the things you would love to try and dare yourself to do one
- Step outside of your comfort zone at work and do something that rekindles your passion
- Start a CD or tape club with your friends and swap favorite music to try something new
- Attend a social event and meet new people
- Create three positive affirmations and post them on your desk and at home
- Care about your body and nurture it with healthy foods for 2-4 weeks
- Create a sacred space or alter with special objects for your home
- Buy yourself a gift you've always wanted
- Commit to playing your favorite sport each week
- Visit a friend you haven't seen in a while
- Make popcorn and watch a favorite movie again
- Join a book club and explore your interest in reading more deeply
Kindness to Colleagues Ideas
- Praise the work or attitude of someone you work with
- Bring a cup of coffee or tea to a colleague
- Talk to a colleague about committing "random acts of kindness"
- Put an anonymous supportive note on a colleague's desk
- Buy a box of popsicles to share with the staff on a hot day
- Hold a "honoring diversity" potluck lunch and have everyone bring ethnic foods
- Offer to switch a shift with a colleague when they need time off
- Say "good morning" to everyone you work with today
- Extend a friendly invite to an introverted or shy colleague
- Drive a colleague home from work
- Be sensitive to a colleague's successes and challenges
- Commit to not supporting gossip in the workplace
- Share in the 'not so' pleasant tasks at work
- Buy flowers and place one on the desk of all your colleagues
- Give a compliment
- Walk a colleague to their car or bus at night time for safety purposes
- Bake a cake for a colleague's birthday and share it at work
- Clean your staff room and put a table cloth on the lunch table with aromatic candles
or fresh flowers so that your colleagues can enjoy their lunch in splendor
- Create and celebrate annually a "colleagues day"
- Tell your boss how much you appreciate how he/she supports you
- Pay attention to positive news and pass it on
- Put copies of inspirational poems or stories on your counter for everyone to enjoy
- Put a copy of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work' in the lunchroom or other inspirational easy reading books
- Hug someone who really needs some affection
- Actively listen to a colleague when they are seeking your input. Practice non-judgment.
- Seek out a new employee and volunteer to be their 'buddy' for their first month on the job
- Practice etiquette and good manners in the workplace
- Leave a kind note on the water cooler or on your counter with suggestions like: "Take a deep breath and move gently through your day"
- Give employees the option to take a half-paid day to go volunteer at a local charity of their choice. Help them research a charity that most interests them
- Try to schedule a colleague's birthday off
- Raise money for a colleague's favorite charity or volunteer to assist with your time
- Treat a colleague to lunch
Kindness in the Community Ideas
- Learn to re-cycle
- Become a volunteer in some capacity
- Make pledges in a local walk or run to support a cause
- Give a pint of blood to the local Red Cross blood bank
- Pass out cookies or candies to customers waiting in line
- Let someone merge into the traffic line up you are in
- Put money into an expired car
- Research the internet for environmental issues and learn how to support the planet in a constructive way
- Baby-sit for a friend or a single mom on your community block
- Donate your time at a local soup kitchen
- Send a box of chocolates or donuts to another branch of your company
- Participate in a company charity
- Create or donate a floral arrangement to the local seniors center, nursing home, police/fire station or hospital
- Set up a coffee/tea/hot chocolate display for customers in the morning
- Give to a child who needs a friend by joining Jr. Achievement or Big Brothers or Sisters
- Become a mentor in your community with your talents and skills
- Take a dog for a walk at the local animal shelter
- Pay for the coffee and dessert of someone in a restaurant
- Shovel snow or rake the leaves for a senior citizen...free of charge
- Visit an elderly neighbor and bring them cookies
- Get involved in Meals-on-Wheels for local shut ins
- Become a foster parent for a Third World child
- Support recycled products and animal friendly products
- Pick up litter as you walk home
- Undertake a full community project
- Have your workplace sponsor a youth sports team and go and cheer them on!
- Adopt a 'family in need' at Christmas and have your department or work team create a magical Christmas for them
- Find a need in your community and champion the cause
- Write an article for a paper or magazine on an issue that touches you
- Attend a meeting, workshop or conference that makes you think of global or local issues
- Contribute to your workplace initiative for the community
- Plant a tree for the planet with friends or family
- Make a commitment to be the change you want to see in the world
- Gather professional clothes at work and donate them to a 'dress for success' program which supports low income candidates in preparing for job interviews
- Gather eye glasses and donate them to optical stores for 3rd world countries
- Read to children and adults in literacy programs
Kindness to the Earth
Noted scientist and author David Suzuki writes in his book The Sacred Balance, "One cannot give up hope; incredible things do happen, and no one can know what the final contributing factor might be . . . individuals can create sudden shifts in popular understanding and social action. No one can predict when that critical point will be reached when one additional grain can be the final agent that will cause an enormous shift. Each person, group or organization working towards a different world may seem powerless and insignificant, but all of them can add up to a force that can become irresistible."
His words give added motivation to act on the simplest way to be kind to the earth:
Reduce consumption and waste; reuse and recycle manufactured goods. Here are a few other ways to be kind to the earth:
- Plant a tree.
- Conserve water. Consider alternative landscaping, fix leaks and install water-saving devices.
- Economize on car use. Do as many things as possible on one trip. Keep your car tuned up.
- Walk, ride a bike, car pool, take the bus or L.R.T.
- Compost food products.
- Turn off lights, heaters and fans when not in use.
- Have a "litterless lunch" today.
|
|
