We’re all familiar with to-do lists:
- Get groceries.
- Write thank you note to Aunt Sally.
- Make dentist appointments.
- Clean out sock drawer.
- Pick up dry cleaning.
- Extend dinner invite to next-door neighbors.
What if we enhance our tasks and not only check off what we’ve accomplished, but keep a running kindness list next to each action item?
We’re dubbing kind lists the new to-do lists. Here’s the fun catch – for every item you check off, challenge yourself to add a kindness observation, offering, or experience and pass this kindness gesture on. Once you’ve lived out kindness, then move down your agenda and check the next item off. Achieve task. Check. Record kindness. Check.
Here’s how your traditional to-do list should intertwine with your new kind list.
Weed garden? Check.
Offer to pick the weeds from an elderly neighbors lawn? Check.
Send thank you letter to grandma? Check.
Say thank you to a mail carrier? Check.
Return library books? Check.
Donate any books you don’t use to your local library? Check.
With life often lived in a rush, it’s easy to focus on completing activities instead of pausing and relishing kind moments. The simple act of writing down kind gestures triggers the brain to pause in-between achieving and helps us focus on remembering. This new habit encourages us to respond to ourselves and others.
Here are some kind gestures to think about:
How did you see kindness on display today?
Did someone pay you a compliment?
Did you witness human generosity? How and when?
What kindness did you impart to an individual?
First action item of the day? Get started being kind!
