Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day Every Day
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation lists upcoming holiday dates as:
- World Kindness Day: November 13, 2009
- World Kindness Week: November 9-15, 2009
- Random Acts of Kindness Week: February 15-21, 2010
In this lens, you'll find out about three easy ways to engage in random acts of kindness, three works that are all about the topic and are very inspirational, and a whole lot more!
Through reading this lens, my hope is that you'll gain an awareness of this great holiday and that you'll be inspired to carry out just one small act of kindness each day.
Share your acts here. There's a list set up for that purpose. You can add your ideas and vote the ideas up or down. You can even put a copy of the list on your own lens. Also, share your thoughts in the Guestbook at the bottom of the page (and let me know if the quote font works!).
Be sure to watch the video at the end (and the others too).
Enjoy the lens!
Note: Inspirational quotes come from the Foundation website.
Photo Credit: Babblesgotgroove on Photobucket.
(World Kindness Day is November 13, 2010)
"Be kind.
It is hardly ever the wrong thing to do."
Unknown
What's Here About Random Acts of Kindness?
- Countdown to World Kindness Day
- Random Acts of Kindness: Say Thank You
- Random Acts of Kindness: Encourage Someone
- Random Acts of Kindness: Give a Gift
- The Random Acts of Kindness Poll
- Random Acts of Kindness: The Ultimate Gift
- Random Acts of Kindness: Pay it Forward
- Random Acts of Kindness: The Parable of the Good Samaritan & Other Spiritual Works
- Random Acts of Kindness on Video
- Your Random Acts of Kindness
- Donating to a Worthy Cause is an Act of Kindness
- Excellent Places to Learn More About Random Acts of Kindness
- About Leanne
- P.S. This is a Rocketmoms Lens
- What Do You Plan to Do To Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day . . . Every Day?
- Love This Lens?
3 Easy Ways to Offer Acts of Kindness
"Appreciation can make a day - even change a life, Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary."
Margaret Cousins
Random Acts of Kindness: Say Thank You

Someone once said, "The greatest need of every human being is the need for appreciation."
I don't know if it's the greatest need, but it's definitely up there. Saying, "Thank you" is a way to appreciate someone. And how easy is it to do? It really doesn't cost you anything in any way . . . but it can make a world of difference to another person.
Watch this inspirational clip all about the power of appreciation.
So, how can you say thanks, or show appreciation?
Some ways are:
Also check out my gratitude lens to learn more about being thankful.
Photo Credit: kissyface on Flickr.
"Send a smile, give a hug, all day long you will be loved!"
Stephanie Geiger
Random Acts of Kindness: Encourage Someone

Related to saying thanks is giving encouragement. It's similar, but more broad. Encouragement has to do with giving hope or offering support for forward movement. It has to do with affirming someone and strengthening them.
Did you know that encouragement is a "love language" according to Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages? Some people know that they're loved through hearing words of affirmation. It's so important!
Some ways that you can express encouragement include:
Again, it's such an easy thing to do . . . but one that's often neglected. It's unfortunate that it's so neglected because it boosts people and can create such a huge impact in someone's life.
Photo Credit: laurenatclemson on Flickr.
"Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes, those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts."
Unknown
Random Acts of Kindness: Give a Gift

A gift is simply something you give; something received by another. It can be anything, really.
It's also a love language (just like words of encouragement or affirmation above).
Giving gifts doesn't have to cost a lot. You can give the gift of:
Or give the gift of learning someone's love language and speaking it. The love languages are gifts, touch, words of affirmation, time and acts of service.
Photo Credit: Jill Clardy on Flickr.

Kindness is a Gift
The Random Acts of Kindness Poll
3 Inspirational Works About Kindness
"If anyone is in need, just lend a hand and help them out."
Anonymous 6th Grader, RAK Member
Random Acts of Kindness: The Ultimate Gift
A Book & A Movie Based on the Book

The Ultimate Gift website states, "When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens anticipates a big inheritance. Instead, his grandfather has devised a crash course on life with twelve tasks - or "gifts" - designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways, sending him on a journey of self-discovery and forcing him to determine what is most important in life: money or happiness."
The gifts are:
This is an incredible movie that inspires a giving, kind attitude, followed by action. The website offers a lot of resources to help people do this. And there's a new book out - a sequel - called The Ultimate Life. You can purchase it later in the lens.
Visit my lens on The Ultimate Gift for more about it. Photo from the site.
The Ultimate Gift Movie Trailer
"Isn't it amazing how often we can touch someone's life, and enrich our own, by a very simple act? Kindness, pass it on...what a wonderful way in which to pattern our lives!"
Betty, Community Organizer, WA
Random Acts of Kindness: Pay it Forward

Pay it forward is the coolest name ever.
Have you thought about its meaning?
Instead of doing a kind act and being paid back by someone doing a reciprocal act of kindness, you do an act of kindness and it's paid forward to someone else. Actually, it's paid forward to three other people, who pay it forward to three others themselves. And on and on it goes in an incredible ripple effect.
Wow.
If you haven't seen this movie, you need to (in my humble opinion!).
Photo from Eiesenheim on Photobucket.
Pay It Forward Movie Trailer
"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile."
Mother Teresa
Random Acts of Kindness: The Parable of the Good Samaritan & Other Spiritual Works

Without getting all theological about it, the story of the good Samaritan is a story about showing kindness to all people.
The story is found in the New Testament, so it's a Christian parable. But it's really a concept that's taught in all religions.
In an article about the Dalai Lama and kindness, the author writes, "The Dalai Lama is the first to agree that kindness, at least ideally, forms the heart of every great religion. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, he says, all teach some version of the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you'd like to be treated."
The Buddha said, "The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love Born out of concern for all beings."
The Qur'an (The Koran Interpreted by A. J. Arberry) states, "It is not piety, that you turn your faces to the East and to the West. True piety is this: to believe in God, and the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets, to give of one's substance, however cherished, to kinsmen, and orphans, the needy, the traveller, beggers, and to ransom the slave, to perform the prayer, to pay the alms. And they who fulfil their covenant when they have engaged in a covenant, and endure with fortitude misfortune, hardship and peril, these are they who are true in their faith, these are the truly godfearing" (2:177).
The Hebrew Bible states, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:17). This is a central moral teaching in Judaism.
I wrote a paper on "Tikkun Olam" within Judaism when I was working on my Masters in World Religions. What follows are ideas and quotes from that paper:
The concept of tikkun olam in Judaism is all about social justice, which includes loving-kindness. The Columbus Platform (Reform Judaism's declaration of principles) states, "We bring Torah into the world when we strive to fulfill the highest ethical mandates in our relationships with others and with all of God's creation. Partners with God in . . . (tikkun olam), repairing the world, we are called to help bring nearer the messianic age. . . . We are obligated to pursue . . . (tzedek), justice and righteousness . . . In so doing, we reaffirm social action and social justice as a central prophetic focus of traditional Reform Jewish belief and practice."
Tikkun olam is enacted through such loving acts as giving to the poor, befriending the lonely, ransoming captives, healing and visiting the sick, caring for the disabled, comforting mourners, offering hospitality to strangers, celebrating major events of life with one another, caring for spouses, teaching children, honoring parents, speaking kindly to others and caring for the environment.
Many of these acts of social justice are identical to what is commanded throughout the Torah and the Prophets through ancient terms such as tzedekah, meaning "charity, righteousness and social justice" and chesed, meaning "loving-kindness" (e.g. Genesis 18:17-19; Leviticus 19:15, 18 & 33; Deuteronomy 24:17-22 and Isaiah 1:17 and 58:6-7). As such, these acts are "as much a part of being Jewish as . . . observing the Sabbath, festivals and rituals" and are just as important as prayer, Torah study and obedience to all of the commandments.
Furthermore, like the ancient social justice concepts, tzedekah and chesed, tikkun olam follows from Torah's foundational theological principles: that all humanity is created in God's image (betzelem elohim) and is therefore equal and to be treated justly; that Jews are bound together in relationship by virtue of their covenant with God and therefore must care for one another; that God's holiness, justice and compassion are to be imitated; and that because God created the world, he therefore owns it and can determine how its resources are to be distributed.
Powerful stuff.
Photo Credit: peboy84 on Photobucket.
Random Acts of Kindness on Video
Stuff About Random Acts of Kindness Day
More Random Acts of Kindness Stuff
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
Leo Buscaglia
Your Random Acts of Kindness
What acts of kindness have you done? What do you plan to do? What simple acts can you think of to share with others?
Add them here.
Vote for your favorites.
And share this list on your own lenses!
Donating to a Worthy Cause is an Act of Kindness
"There is a wonderful, mystical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life -- happiness, freedom, and peace of mind -- are always attained by giving them to someone else."
Unknown
Excellent Places to Learn More About Random Acts of Kindness
- Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
- This site offers tons of free information and resources that will encourage and enable anyone to engage in random acts of kindness all the time.
- Thought Full
- Some parts of this site are under construction but what's there provides great ideas for daily thoughtful acts.
- Humanity Healing
- This is the organization that produced the beautiful video included on my lens.
- The Ultimate Gift
- Great ideas for putting the concepts from the book/movie into practice - - includes lots of acts of kindness.
- Pay It Forward Foundation
- This site works to encourage the idea of "paying it forward" - - when you receive a kind act, do another to someone else and it creates a ripple effect.
- Open Letter to Humanity
- A beautiful plea to humanity to treat others like you want to be treated.
About Leanne
Lensmaster LeanneChesser has been a member since November 10 2007, has rated 557 lenses, favorited 151, and has created 50 lenses from scratch. Leanne Chesser donates their royalties to Earthjustice and Covenant House. This member's top-ranked page is "Feed the Homeless During the Holidays". See all my lenses

P.S. This is a Rocketmoms Lens
Check out these other awesome Rocket Moms lenses.-
Growing Your Gratitude
-
You might be here to learn about gratitude because this is all new to you. Maybe you already know something about gratitude and have been developing it in your life for a while, but you want to grow your gratitude some more. Or, maybe you're he...
-
RocketMoms Headquarters
-
Rocketmoms is an invite-only gathering of the smartest women on the web, working together to make Squidoo lenses and a whole lot more. Below is a sneak peek at just a few of the lenses they're busy creating. Want to take the Rocketmom Challenge? Dro...
What Do You Plan to Do To Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day . . . Every Day?
-
Reply
- Marelisa Marelisa Nov 13, 2009 @ 8:42 pm
- Love it! There is scientific proof that doing kind things for others increases your levels of happiness.
-
Reply
- EverythingMouse EverythingMouse Nov 13, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
- Another excellent lens Leanne
-
Reply
- Kapalbility Kapalbility Nov 3, 2009 @ 2:18 am
- Beautiful lens. :)
-
Reply
- Jewelsofawe Jewelsofawe Oct 20, 2009 @ 2:25 pm
- What a great positive lens! Kindness is always a good thing.
-
Reply
- The_Party_Animal The_Party_Animal Oct 17, 2009 @ 4:21 pm
- I think this is great and should be done everyday. It just make you feel so good to make someone else feel good - I often wonder why not everyone feels that way. I like how you put this all together. You have been Blessed by The Party Animal. Party On....
-
Reply
- KNicholls KNicholls Oct 17, 2009 @ 9:31 am
- I love this lens and have loved the idea since I saw the Pay it Forward movie. What an awesome world we would live in if everyone did this every day!
-
Reply
- JoyfulPamela JoyfulPamela Oct 16, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
- Thank you for this wonderful lens - it would be amazing if more people would try doing these lovely things. :D Pamela
-
Reply
- poutine poutine Oct 10, 2009 @ 11:07 am
- I love this thoughful lens.
I give it 1 big 5
-
Reply
- GrowWear GrowWear Oct 10, 2009 @ 10:13 am
- An Angel blessing to you for this marvelous lens of good will.
-
Reply
- whitemoss whitemoss Oct 4, 2009 @ 5:59 am
- What an inspring lens!
I've added it to my holiday lens too.
- Load More
Love This Lens?
Disclosure: I earn money from the sale of items on this page.
by LeanneChesser
I'm a mom of 4 kids, aged 13, 16, 18 & 20, although some aren't "kids" anymore!... (more)









