Saying good morning to a stranger will feel uncomfortable and weird. It will also feel good both for you and the stranger.
The smallest acts of kindness are the severely underrated ones. Here are some more: saying thank you to the person serving you, saying please when you ask for something, smiling to everyone, giving hugs, and saying I love you to your loved ones.
There are more acts of kindness I’ve learned to cherish over the years, which are a bit more elaborate:
- Writing a motivating message to a post-it note and leaving it on a colleague’s desk (or sending a message for remote teams), e.g., you rocked it today.
- Giving time for people to think when you express an idea or a difficult message; silence is sometimes gold.
- Telling a stranger you see crying in public, I don’t know what you’re going through; I know, though, that this too shall pass, and you will be fine.
- Showing vulnerability when you lead; it allows others to see you as a human being trying to achieve something; that is inspiring for most people.
- Letting somebody who seems anxious and stressed get in front of you in a lane.
Imagine if 10% of the people in your city practised similar kinds of kindness.
It all starts with one person saying good morning to a stranger. Try it. It costs nothing.
