“We’re all on our own journey. No matter where we came from, what language we speak, the color of our skin or anything that seemingly makes us different, in the end, we’re all just humans living our own story. And it’s up to each of us to be the hero of our story, which inspires other people to do the same.”
Years ago I was asked the question, “are you giver or a taker”. This was not an easy question for me to answer.
However, I did realize I was more of a taker than a giver. That self-knowledge didn’t make me feel too good about myself, but I learned from that hard lesson. And I decided to make some changes.
Here is a question for you…
Giver, Taker, or Matchers – Which are you?
Maybe you need some help to determine which describes you best.
Takers are self-focused and put their own interests ahead of others’ needs. They try to gain as much as possible from their interactions while contributing as little as they can in return.
Matchers like to preserve an equal balance of giving and taking. Their mindset is: “If you take from me, I’ll take from you. If you give it to me, I’ll give it to you.”
Givers are others-focused and tend to provide support to others with no strings attached. They ask themselves, “How can I add value for this person? What can I contribute?”
Have you ever been guilty of judging someone who is begging on the street corner? I know I have.
The following are three things that I have learned that are helpful to keep in mind when practicing random acts of kindness.
First, a lesson that I have learned is that we never should assume what someone’s situation or story is.
And second, don’t ever expect someone to give back because it takes all of the fun out of giving in the first place.
And last, the kindness muscle needs to be exercised consistently. If you want kindness to become a daily natural action.
Here are ten fun ideas to get you started with your Kindness Matters project.
Remember to enjoy yourself!
- Have a cold drink ready for the mail or delivery person.
- Purchase socks and hand them out to homeless people. Steve and I have done this, and they genuinely appreciate this small gesture.
- When you are in line at the drive-thru.
- Purchase someone’s drink or lunch, which is in the car behind you.
- Leave some cash on someone’s windshield. Steve and I love this one. We’ve done this at a Walmart parking lot. We left 20 dollars on the windshield and under the wiper so it would not blow away. Then we sat in our car and watched the person who would return to their vehicle.
- Send a text to someone you haven’t spoken to for a while. Don’t expect a reply. Let the person know the significant part they are in your life.
- Write a gratitude letter.
- Invite someone to coffee or lunch as your guest.
- When you are filling up your gas tank, pay for someone else’s gas as well.
Make a meal for someone. - Purchase McDonald’s hamburgers and give them away to homeless individuals.
