GREAT Morning Everybody!
“Be Kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” – Dalai Lama
Last week, I took a plane from Orlando to Atlanta for a wedding. The flight was only an hour so I decided to upgrade to first class and enjoy some extra leg room!
During the boarding process, the Delta employee working the front gate allowed Active Duty Military to board first. I thought to myself “gee, that was REALLY nice of her!”
As I boarded the plane, I thought, you know what, I am going to give one of those guys my seat! So after everybody boarded, I grabbed my stuff to take with me towards the back of the plane and asked a man in the Navy if he wanted to sit in first class to which he replied “HECK YA I DO!” He was dumbfounded by the random act. I explained to him my dad was in the military and I have a deep amount of respect for what they sacrifice for our freedom!
While I do have deep respect for everybody in the Armed Forces, the main reason why I gave my seat up was the Delta employee’s initial kindness to these individuals. Unaware of this at the time, her kindness was contagious and primed me for further kindness. I tell this story not to brag or boast (it was only a 60 minute flight!), but to let everybody know 2 things:
- Kindness is contagious! You don’t even need to be the one performing the act of kindness to feel the positive effects and benefits of it! The flight attendant instilled kindness in me. What’s more, after we switched seats, I looked around and every single person that witnessed our exchange was smiling from ear to ear! Science has shown that after witnessing what went down, they were now more likely to reciprocate kindness to somebody else. And…
- It feels REALLY good to be kind! The look and surprise on the guy’s face literally brought tears to my eyes. Sitting towards the back of the aircraft (after switching seats) felt WAY better than sitting in first class! This is because when we do right by others, we increase the positive energy, vibrational frequency, and happiness within our own lives! Kindness improves our quality of life in the workplace as well as in the community. It brings people together. Doing good for others feels good. Showing kindness to others is just as rewarding as receiving it from someone else
That being said, I believe we cannot be kind to others without first being kind to ourselves. So be kind to yourself! Go get a massage, treat yourself, take time for yourself. The more kindness you show yourself, the more you can show this world! Because “in the end, only kindness matters…”
Enjoy what comes of today!
With Gratitude,
Rob
