Everyone loves how receiving a compliment feels. It can lift your spirits, give you a boost of self-confidence, and brighten an otherwise cloudy day. But how often do you find yourself being the one to initially dish out the kindness to others, rather than waiting to be the one to receive it before returning the favor?
Kindness is contagious, and it's also free and unlimited. The benefits for having your "kindness baseline" set to high are countless. People will pick up on your friendly energy, and you'll feel better about yourself, too. Kindness has an unstoppable ripple effect built-in, and even if a compliment or friendly greeting is received by someone in a bad mood or falls flat, there's no harm in trying.
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Sending expensive flowers or picking up a friend at the airport at 2am is a great display of kindness and friendship, but it doesn't aways have to be such a grand gesture.
In fact, you might even receive the most benefit from being kind to strangers. Asking the barista how his morning is going, holding the door unusually long for the also leaving your building, or stopping to chat up a neighbor you've never met while they are out walking your dog — these are the types of everyday kindness that not only make the world a happier place to live in, but that are easy opportunities that you can take advantage of every single day.
Not all compliments land as intended. Sometimes a friendly smile goes unnoticed, or a well-meaning comment can catch the recipient completely off guard. People are busy, distracted, or simply not expecting warmth from a stranger, and that's fine — because the goal wasn't to guarantee a reaction for yourself to feel good. Compliments and kindness should be given freely, without attachment to how they're received.
Think about it — has a coworker or random stranger ever said something kind to you out of nowhere, catching you completely off guard? Then, a minute or two later, once you've fully processed it, you wish you could go back and properly thank them? That delayed realization is proof that the words did land — they just needed a moment to register. So don't let an underwhelming reaction in the moment discourage you, keep dishing out kindness like candy.
Whether you're having one of those grumpy days that you accidentally take out your frustration on the people around you, or you're looking for something meaningful to send to a friend who needs a lift, quotes can be the perfect motivation boost to start spreading kindness yourself.
In fact, below at 16 of my favorite kindness quotes. Hopefully some of these make you smile, and at least one inspires you to share some kindness with a friend or stranger today:
Rather than it being a personality trait you either have or don't, kindness is an intentional decision that you can make daily. And the bar is lower than you think — a three-second impulse decision to say something kind to someone might stick with them for years.
So say the thing, send the message, smile at the stranger. You have no idea the impact it might have, and your positive energy is bound to eventually receive it in return.
