UPDATE 03/07/2025
Random Acts of Kindness Week is one of my favorite weeks every year. The goal behind the week is to make the world a kinder place by doing small things that can make a big difference. It’s also a helpful reminder to be kind to each other, but it’s also where we get to recognize each other for doing something amazing. Being kind IS amazing!
The official celebration usually starts around February 18th, but I’m challenging you to start showing kindness whatever day you’re reading this! The goal behind the week long celebration is to do something for someone unexpectedly each day. Essentially, random acts of kindness. It could be something big or small, the size doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you show kindness.
Here are some random acts of kindness you can perform:
- Hold a door for someone
- Pay for the coffee order of the person behind you in the drive-thru
- Donate gently used clothing to the local shelter
- Run a 5K for charity
- Send someone a Thinking of You card
- Give up your seat on the train or bus on your commute to work
- Walk your neighbor’s dog
- Send coloring books to the children’s ward at your local hospital
- Share your umbrella with a stranger
- Say hello to the people you encounter while you’re out and about
- Leave your waiter/waitress a note saying how great their service was
Some of my fondest memories are from when I used to work in Boston. On my walk from the train station to my office, I would make a point to explicitly say “Hello” or “Morning” to every single person I walked by. Some acknowledged me and others didn’t, but the feeling of showing kindness was heartwarming. If these ideas don’t peak your interest to show a random act of kindness, come up with something on your own. Any act of kindness can be random. You just have to decide to perform the act in a split second when you see an opportunity. In all honesty, performing these small acts can be so fun too!
