Kindness. A heartfelt word frequently used, sometimes lost in the expectation of doing. Kindness is defined differently to everyone; acts of kindness are relevant to a person or situation.
How do you define kindness in your life?
According to a February 2017 article on kindness.org, people defined kindness in the following actions:
Showing empathy – ranks high at 27 percent. This includes listening to others with compassion and understanding their feelings.
Smiling – ranks second at 20 percent. This is easy as smiling to strangers passing on the street! Bonus points for making someone else smile.
Helping – 13 percent of people said this defines kindness. This means assisting others with problem solving or goal achieving. Bonus points rewarded for not expecting anything in return.
Giving – 11 percent of people said this is the most important factor of kindness.
Tell us what you think kindness is by using the #KindnessIs and tagging us @jambethekindkid!
Here at JAM and #bethekindkid, there are many layers to kindness. We don’t define kindness since a kind act is different for everyone. We try to spread kindness in every way possible.
Looking for ways to spread kindness?
Go out of your way to make someone’s day. This might mean donating your time or money to a local charity. It might be as easy as opening a door for someone or offering a kind compliment.
Be nice. Enough said.
Respond with kindness in mind. Take time to consider the other person in a conversation. Someone might be going through a tough time, and your kindness could brighten their day.
Stay positive. Every situation, even terrible ones have an underlying positive. Search for it, even if it’s hard to find, and things will turn around.
Give back. Giving back can look however you want it too, just decide to do it. Ask yourself, how can I help?
Show yourself kindness. If you can’t be kind to yourself, you can’t be kind to strangers.
Spread positivity. Challenge yourself to find ways to spread positivity and kindness each day.
Our #bethekindkid t-shirts can help! Wearing one is a great way to spread positivity to others and give back. Did you know JAM donates a portion of the proceeds from their t-shirt sales to a charitable organization?
The charity is decided by JAM students, who must first research their organization and present at a weekly JAM meeting. The students then cast a vote for their favorite organization and make their donation.
JAM has donated over $3,500 to date to charities in the Pittsburgh area. Buying a #bethekindkid t-shirt supports a cycle of kindness, positivity, and change.