7 Acts of Kindness that Cost You Nothing

So let’s face it…the world can be a cruel, cruel, horrible place.  There are a lot of self-centered people caught up in their own world that make it difficult for others for no reason.  The guy that aggressively tails you your entire way to work, as you stop at every stop light.  The rude person at work that definitely has a problem with somebody or something, but seems to take it out on you when they reply to your email asking a very simple question.  The jerk that left their shopping cart in the only available parking spot at the grocery store instead of taking the 12 seconds to push it over to the return area.

They all suck for whatever reason, and they manage to put all that suck-tivity right on whoever crosses their path, whether they deserve it or not.  You may not be able to say for certain what caused their rudeness, meanness, or thoughtlessness.  It could just be the way they are, or it could be something that happened that put them on the wrong side of happy.

Truth of the matter is that we’ve all been there.  We’ve all had that bad day or been in that funky mood that seems to trickle over into the interactions we have with other people.  We’ve said that snippy remark to someone that maybe didn’t deserve it.  We’ve sent that abrupt email way too quickly to that colleague that has just been asking for it.

The crazy thing is that all of this could potentially be avoided if someone had given these same people a kind gesture before they had these unfortunate interactions.  You never know when you are crossing paths with someone who really could benefit from someone saying a kind word or putting forth a little effort to be nice.

I’ve put together this quick list of actions you can take that cost you nothing, but could mean a lot to someone having a bad day.  You never know when your small gesture could be the world of difference to someone else.  You also never know the battles that people are fighting every day.  And is it better to be the reason they smile or yet another reason they continue to struggle?

Remember, in a world where you can be anything, be kind.