“What can I do for YOU?”
This question represents one of the most generous gestures of love and kindness one can show to another person.
I was on the receiving-end of just such a gesture recently, when a client showed me this simple, yet truly touching offer of love. After working with her and members of her family for over three years, what this question meant to her was, I would like to repay you the kindness, love, respect, and support you have shown me and my family. How can I do this for you?
One of the reasons why this was so profound for me was because she was a client. She had paid for sessions with me, and it was unnecessary for her to give any more. Further, she knew how much energy, love, support, kindness, and caring I give to others, and she wanted to acknowledge that in some meaningful way.
If you are a giver like I am – and as we discussed in one of our previous editions of Be-Inspired (https://joshuazuchter.com/what-is-in-a-friendship-giving-or-receiving/) – givers give unconditionally, naturally, and sometimes to a fault. If you are a giver, you know what I mean.
It had been so long since I had experienced this gesture from anyone, let alone a client. It stood out as truly profound for me, and inspired two very important questions:
Question 1:
When was the last time you received a selfless random act of kindness?
First, let’s define what I mean by “selfless random acts of kindness”:
A selfless random act of kindness is an unconditional giving of some type of gift – a verbal- or service-based act – that helps to elevate another Soul, done spontaneously without any planning, and done with care and love for another. By “selfless,” I mean you remove the Self from the equation – you are not doing it to gain something for yourself in return. It is done from your Soul, your inner Wisdom, or your heart of hearts, and not from ego for some specific reason. It also means that regardless of whether the other individual even knows about it, all that matters is that you know about it.
Perhaps most importantly, whatever the act, it is not meant as a method of control, manipulation, or taking from another. Thus, it is considered to be completely selfless in nature. It also means that even if the individual despises or hates you after you do it, what matters is that you acted from your heart of hearts in a truly giving manner.
Here, I want to emphasize that acts of kindness do not necessarily require an outlay of money or time. Rather, it is the thought and intention that one puts into these acts that make them meaningful. And often, when one is on the giving-end of such acts, they’ll find that they also receive more in return.
It’s rather sad that more of us do not regularly perform these acts, and consequently, we also do not experience the wonderful feeling of receiving acts of kindness. A very simple example of this can be found in my now home town of Toronto, Canada. I can tell you there are far more drivers who are into themselves than into acting kindly towards others on the roads
If you are at all like me, you may wonder:
What if the world was the other way around? What if people cared for and supported you, and cheered you on everywhere you went? How different would your life look?
Question 2 (and the more significant thought):
When was the last time you gave/expressed a selfless random act of kindness?
You may already give much and many selfless random acts of kindness, or you may not. Either way, whether you do or do not, it truly is up to those of us who are aware, conscious, and who wish to help, inspire, and to elevate others through our own actions to do so.
So I ask you: What is one selfless random act of kindness you can perform today? Who will you interact with, and what do they love/enjoy? How can you support them in their daily lives?
Some examples of selfless random acts of kindness:
- Paying ahead for the order of the person in line behind you at your local coffee shop
- Giving your partner a kiss out of nowhere in mid-sentence while he/she is talking
- Hugging your son/daughter for no specific reason whatsoever
- Telling one of your colleagues how great she/he looks in that colour or style
- Bringing your neighbours recycling bins up to their garage doors
- Sending an email of gratitude to a friend with whom you haven’t spoken in a while
- Finding out your colleagues’ birth dates and surprising them with e-cards on their special days
- Genuinely smiling at someone you know or even don’t know
And if you have children, teach them about selfless random acts of kindness. Who knows, perhaps if our children learn this now, selfless random acts of kindness may become the norm in our future!
Finally, I’ll leave you with this question:
When was the last time you offered yourself a random act of kindness?
Compassion cannot be unless we are also practicing compassion with ourselves. Therefore, a random act of kindness for yourself – such as not being so hard on yourself, relaxing that inner-critique and instead being lighter with yourself, giving yourself a much needed rest, special treat, or taking yourself on a special date – are all examples of how you can randomly radiate some kindness towards yourself.
P.S. Let us know what other random selfless acts of kindness you can think of. I invite you to comment below…