Inspire Kindness
What is your definition of kindness?
What is your definition of kindness?
Mine is being selfless, generous, loving. Not only to those that you love and care for, but to strangers. Kindness is free and can be life changing for those around you. You never know what others are going through and how your kind heart can transform their lives. I have always wanted to help others, even as a child, and I want to be the best possible example for my children and those around me. If seeing kindness through my heart and my actions can encourage others to be kind in return, then I can sleep a lot better at night.
I have partnered with Inspire Kindness, a social-good lifestyle brand that is on a mission to inspire the world’s largest kindness movement through what we do, say and wear.. Staying true to its name, Inspire Kindness sells hats, shirts, jewelry and home decor with motivational messages, with 10% of net profits donated to programs that instill kindness in youth through the Kindness for Kids Foundation. (Shop my Kindness t-shirt HERE and my Kindness hat HERE)
You can also sign up to receive regular inspirations to stay accountable for being intentionally kind, with the goal of filling our world with positivity, together.
Some ways that I try to instill kindness in my day to day is by smiling at strangers, paying compliments, sending food or letters to your friends that are going through a hard time and volunteering. I started volunteering this past winter at the Bridge Ministry with a few of my Nashville influencer friends and fell in love with their mission. Every Tuesday evening they go under the bridge to feed the homeless. They also make food bags for over 200 kids per week to deliver to the schools. We form a line and make up all the different boxes to provide maximum nutrition for children that do not have food at home. I also did a toy drive with the Bridge to provide Christmas for all the children. We wrapped the presents, separated them off by gender and age and then we threw a big Christmas party under the bridge with food, presents, dancing and all sorts of fun.
The group of influencers I volunteered with and I formed a nonprofit called Influence Good with Burton from The Bridge Ministry. We aim to use our platform as influencers to do good in the city of Nashville while encouraging others to do the same. If you’re not using your platform for the good of the people, what is the point of having a platform? Our mission is to not only help others around us but to build a community that gives back with their time and love in our city.
Kindness has a direct link to happiness. It positively affects not only the person completing the act of kindness but also those who witness the acts. When one witnesses acts of kindness it not only improves their mood but it drastically increases the chance of creating a domino effect of “paying it forward.”
Being kind has been proven to:
- Decrease depression and anxiety
- Decrease stress
- Increases your life span. A Time article by Alexandra Sifferlin in December 2016 found that people who occasionally cared for others lived longer than those who did not.
- Makes you happier. Kindness can stimulate the production of serotonin.
My challenge to you is to start incorporating kindness in your day to day. Start small by paying compliments to strangers and opening doors. Join me and Inspire Kindness in creating a ripple effect of change in today’s world by spreading kindness and positivity and becoming a leading example for our youth. Check out InspireKindness.com to learn more and shop products with purpose.
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