The Healing Power of Kindness

Don’t ever underestimate the power of kindness. "Random acts of kindness" may just be a slogan, but it has caught on all around the country and world for a reason. Doing lovely things for others for no reason has so many rewards. In an instant, the best of our humanity and heart comes forward. Acts of kindness connect our heart to the heart of another person and create bridges over which our love can flow. My mom and grandmother always taught me to live by the Golden Rule. They encouraged me to find ways that I could make a positive difference in other people's live on a daily basis, and to also be aware of the kindness that's all around me just waiting for my recognition and acknowledgment. Here are five out of hundreds of true stories that I have experienced in my life that you might enjoy and how you can be an earth angel to someone else.

Every day presents us with hundreds of opportunities to practice kindness toward our fellow humans. Seize these moments and discover how wonderful it feels.

1) The Airport Fiasco & the Sweet Lady — Excerpt from The Joy Factor:

Recently I was moved by a gesture of love at the airport. I was leaving Portland, Oregon, to fly to Los Angeles. Because of stormy weather, most flights were delayed, and some were canceled. The airport was crowded with unhappy travelers, so I was delighted that for some reason my flight was scheduled to leave on time. As they announced the final boarding, I noticed a harried man running up to the counter with his briefcase in one hand and his ticket in the other. The ticket agent said that unfortunately his reservation had been cleared and his seat given away. She told him politely and kindly that she would do everything she could to get him a seat on a later flight.

Are people really getting meaner or is it just your imagination? From the halls of Congress to the main streets of small-town America and our big cities, it seems like no one is capable of civilly listening to others whose viewpoints are different.

As I write about in my books The Joy Factor: 10 Sacred Practices for Radiant Health and Walking on Air: Your 30-Day Inside and Out Rejuvenation Makeover, I believe that we are in the midst of an epidemic in which few people have the time to be kind. This rampant form of business is nothing short of a sickness—a form of self-centeredness brought about by people rushing around trying to make ends meet and cope with mounting stress and numerous health issues.

Do you feel overwhelmed in your life and less compassionate than you did years ago? As I counsel people around the country, and even worldwide, it's been my experience that most people are burning the candle at both ends—daily; most people are experiencing severe sleep debt; most people have no time to call their own; and most folks are living in what I refer to as a spin-cycle lifestyle. Can you relate to any of this?

The more you rush around without keeping your life in perspective and in balance, the more you lose compassion for others and yourself, too. People are in such a rush these days, living on the fast track — talking fast, eating fast, and moving fast. What a difference from 50 years ago. Did you know that you'll probably do more in this year — with appointments, people to meet, and places to go — than your grandparents did their entire lives? Given our current pace, we barely have time to relax and cultivate relationships with our spouses and children, friends and nature, much less with God. Is it any wonder that stress-related diseases are on the rise? We are under pressure to keep busy even in our leisure hours. Computers have sped up our lives. We want to do everything, and we want to do it all at once. We talk on the telephone and text while we drive (even though there are now laws against this), watch television while we read, and conduct business while we listen to the radio. I see this as a sickness of epidemic proportions — a "busyness" or "hurry" sickness. This type of lifestyle also drains our hearts of compassion, according to many studies of late. If you understand the speed of life, you can slow it down by enjoying it more and by making a conscious choice of being more compassionate. Start with yourself. You'll find tips in one of my recent radio interviews entitled Have Americans Lost Their Compassion? and also below.