Why Be Inconvenienced by Kindness?

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Has someone ever been kind to you, and you haven’t appreciated their gesture or the intent behind it? If your answer to this is “no,” and genuine feelings reflect what the research confirms, any act of kindness, however small, is very much noticed and appreciated by each of us. Someone has taken the time to understand or notice our situation and acted. It could be as simple as letting us enter a busy road after watching car after car pass us by, opening up a door when our hands are full, smiling at us and saying good morning, etc.

If you reference the attached article and more, we know this to be true: Acts of kindness nourish the giver AND receiver. Each of us has this POWER. It’s free, usually takes little effort and it is so beneficial. Imagine what our daily lives would be like if we simply choose to be kind to others. There are hundreds of opportunities everyday to make this happen without any real inconvenience or big investment. Why don’t we?

The research somehow shows that we overthink it. “‘I have found that kindness can be a really hard sell,’ said Tara Cousineau, a clinical psychologist, meditation teacher and author of ‘The Kindness Cure: How The Science of Compassion Can Heal Your Heart and Your World.’ ‘People desire kindness yet often feel inconvenienced by the thought of being kind.’”

We frankly worry too much about how our actions will be interpreted. Yet, if our act of kindness is genuinely about others, why would we stress about just doing it? What’s the big risk, really?

I write mostly about the workplace. It’s apparent that in today’s organizations, we could benefit from more intentional acts of kindness. Take a moment. Do it now. I almost feel foolish writing about this because it’s such a “duh.” Yet, we are missing the abundance and generosity that makes up the energy of so much of our well being. Let’s all just be a little more deliberate and generous in rolling out kindness without any expectations for reciprocity. Just get it done, because you are worth it!!

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

- Lorne

One Millennial View: It’s interesting how the article says “kindness can be a really hard sell.” Perhaps because it lacks the salacious, nostalgic, dramatic, particularly funny, alarming or commiserating content we like to buy into. And, it’s unfortunate that some people have a protective shield, which guards against potential misinterpretation of acts of kindness. If someone is kind, and our first instinct is to ask “why?,” then that should be an indication that we have to do some internal reflection. Maybe it’s worth appreciating the confidence it takes to be kind, which in turn, is something cool. Invest in intentional kindness now, and let’s prevent abundance and generosity from being engulfed by cynicism to a point where free, kind deeds are so rare they somehow become expensive.

- Garrett

Edited and published by Garrett Rubis

Why Be Inconvenienced by Kindness?

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