Hello and welcome,
And today's word is the word kindness.
Have you ever had someone smile at you on a hard day and felt your shoulders drop just a little?
Or maybe you paid for someone's coffee and watched their eyes light up in surprise.
Those tiny moments,
They matter more than we think.
Kindness isn't just a feel-good gesture,
It's a force,
It's an energy,
One that shifts moods and connects people in the most human way possible.
In a world that often feels fast and fractured and competitive,
Kindness is a quiet rebellion.
Kindness isn't weakness,
It's wisdom.
It's choosing empathy over ego,
Choosing curiosity over judgment.
It's the conscious decision to see someone,
Even when you're busy,
Even when they're not like you.
And the wildest part?
Science says kindness changes you as much as it changes the person receiving your kindness.
Fred Rogers was known to generations as Mr.
Rogers.
He built a legacy on radical kindness.
At a time when TV was loud and flashy,
He slowed down,
He spoke gently,
And he modelled empathy.
He once said,
There are three ways to ultimate success.
The first way is to be kind,
The second way is to be kind and the third way is to be kind.
His entire philosophy was built around treating children and everyone with dignity.
The Dalai Lama,
A global spiritual leader,
He speaks of kindness as a universal language.
He said,
Be kind whenever possible.
It is always possible.
His teachings remind us that kindness is not a soft skill.
It's a global necessity,
A global language.
Chadwick Boseman,
Even while privately battling cancer,
He continued to visit children in hospitals,
Support fellow actors and speak powerfully about purpose and service.
His quiet acts of kindness off-screen made his on-screen roles even more heroic.
And yet we only need to look in our communities to see an abundance of kindness everywhere and yet there's still room for more.
Harvard University research shows that people who engage in kind acts experience higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress.
Kindness literally boosts serotonin and dopamine levels,
The brain's feel-good chemicals.
And a 2016 study in the journal Emotion found that even witnessing an act of kindness can improve your mood and inspire you to pay it forward.
This is known as moral elevation.
Kindness really is contagious.
And neuroscientists at Emory University discovered that compassion and kindness activate the brain's pleasure centers,
Similar to when we eat chocolate or win a prize.
And I think it's worth remembering that one because particularly if we're having a bad day or feeling low,
That might be the absolute best time to show a moment of kindness and lift ourselves with the other person.
So what three things do I recommend today for exercising more kindness?
Number one is to start with yourself.
So often we are our own harshest critic and we put others before our own needs.
And today in particular I encourage you to speak to yourself the way that you would to a friend or a dear child.
Inner kindness fuels outer kindness.
Healed people heal people.
Number two,
Do one anonymous act today.
Pay for someone's coffee,
Leave a kind note or send a compliment to someone.
No strings attached.
Just do it out of the goodness of your heart.
Number three,
Notice a little bit more going on around you.
Kindness begins with awareness.
Look up from your phone,
Catch someone's eye,
Ask how they're really doing.
Smile at somebody passing you on a bus.
And I'm going to add an extra one for this very valuable word of kindness.
And that's to perhaps practice the 10 second rule.
If you think something kind,
Say it.
Don't wait.
Don't overthink it.
Don't wonder if it's the right thing to do.
A compliment or an expression of gratitude can make someone's entire day and sometimes it might save somebody's life.
And we're going to end today on a wonderful quote by Aesop.
No act of kindness,
No matter how small,
Is ever wasted.
