Create Kindness

"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be gone by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again."
-Og Mandino

This week is Random Acts of Kindness week. Our amazing sister, Hayley Geis, started the movement at our university a few years ago, and its impact has been growing tremendously ever since. Join us in celebrating and participating in one of the most influential weeks on our campus.

Instagram any kindness that you see throughout campus using the hashtag, #RAKatUSC and email your stories and experiences to rakatusc@gmail.com!

"I am extremely passionate about Random Acts of Kindness. A Random Act of Kindness is a small, unexpected act of kindness that is given without need for recognition for the act. National Random Acts of Kindness week is celebrated this year from February 9-13. Random Acts of Kindness has always been one of my favorite concepts. In high school I would put sticky notes with inspirational quotes on car windshields or bring cookies or candy to school randomly. I think that it is the best feeling in the world to make someone smile, even if you don't receive credit for it. I truly believe that any act of kindness, no matter how small, can have an immeasurable impact on everyone it touches. I wanted to start random acts of kindness here at USC because I think that if people take their heads off of their phones or eyes off the ground and recognize their fellow students, the university would be a much happier place. It is my goal to get the entire university aware of the amazing effects that small, random acts of kindness can create. Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change. No act of kindness is too small. When people go through the day expressing kindness and courtesy to everyone they meet, compassion leaves behind a feeling of warmth and good cheer, and can help alleviate the burdens that everyone is struggling with. When people concentrate on others ran than themselves, it brings people together, encourages a sense of community, and gives way to a more positive sense of self. 

There will be kindness opportunities each day throughout the Greek Village and on campus, so please keep an eye out! There will be a "Greek Cookout" on Friday, February 13th, to celebrate the conclusion of the week. This will be held at 1:00 pm on the porch of the Tri Delta house in the Greek Village. Please stop by for food, music, and fellowship! I encourage everyone to take a moment each day and think of at least one way they can change their lives by helping someone else. As always, please contact me with any comments or questions!"

Hayley Geis

336-529-9735

hgeis@email.sc.edu

99 Ideas for Random Acts of Kindness…

- Befriend a lonely person

- Introduce yourself to your neighbors

- Compliment a stranger

- Adopt an animal from the pound

- Send thank you notes

- Pay for the coffee, the toll, or the bus fare for the person behind you

- Let the person who seems rushed cut in front of you

- Hold your tongue - Pause before speaking or writing when you are mad, agitated or doubtful

- Be empathetic - Really try to put yourself in the other          person’s shoes

- Be thoughtful - Did your co-worker have a bad day today? Bring her a coffee tomorrow morning.

- Hold the door open for someone 

- Give your boxes to someone who is moving

- Be thankful

- Be encouraging

- Let people merge-in during traffic

- Help people move

- Say “Thank you”, a lot - Everyone works hard. Thanks are especially important to the postal worker, the government employee, the DMW clerk, the bus driver, the grocery store cashiers (especially when you bring up all that produce and they have to look-up every single code) and baggers

- Call your parents and tell them you love them

- Send your friend a letter

- Volunteer at a department of corrections or juvenile hall

- Give freely - Go through your things and give freely to those in need

- Have a shirt that your friend always compliments you on? Why not give it to her?

- Offer to get groceries for your friend or relative who has a broken leg or other mobility problem

- Make extra copies of photos and send them to the people who are in the images

- Offer to help your friend unpack

- Call everyone you know and tell them you love them

- Give warm clothes, shoes, and boots to the homeless

- Help someone whose car has broken down

- Connect people to each other

- Walk the cart back to the front of the store

- Reach out to a person who has made a difference in your life

- Send a care package to a solider

- Listen when no one else wants to

- Be patient

- Try to find goodness in the person you don’t like

- Ask someone if they’ve lost some weight or tell them that they’re “just glowing”

- Know someone who just had a baby or other major life event? - Bring a meal, offer to clean up their house or do a load of laundry for them.

- Do you know that your partner hates doing the dishes but you don’t really mind doing them? Do them. 

- Be kind to yourself - Make peace with your past mistakes. Use that knowledge to help others who might be going through the same thing.

- Let it go

- Be someone’s cheerleader

- Already sweeping leaves or shoveling the snow off your sidewalk? - Do your neighbors sidewalk too.

- Do nice things and don’t tell anyone about it

- Notice a kid being well-behaved? - Tell their parents how good they are while the kid is standing there. It will encourage the kid to continue being good, and will make the parents feel good.

 - Compliment people in front of others - For some reason compliments hold more weight when they’re done in front of others.

- Bring donuts or other delicious sweets to work

- Give chocolate generously and often;)

- Tell your boss how much you like working for them and how much you’ve learned from them over the years

- Bake a cake for the birthday person

- Don’t complain

- Be the eternal optimist of the group

- Recognize the good in others

- Look for the best in the situation

- Leave nice comments on blogs, Twitter, and Facebook

- Stand up for the underdog

- Come to the rescue of someone in need

- Smile easily and laugh - Even at the so-so jokes

- Share - Even if you don’t really want to

- Do the task no one else wants to do

- Create a happy book - Gather all your good memories and thoughts into 1 spot

- Keep a pen on hand - Lend it to people when needed

- Don’t leave others waiting for you – Be on time

- Tip generously

- Say “Hi” to strangers

- Smile at people

- Help lost people - See tourists wandering around lost? Help them out. Be their new local friend. Someone did this for us once and we were so, so thankful.

- Offer a ride to someone who is car-less

- Help that stressed parent by offering to babysit

- If the work-day is running late and you know your co-worker has somewhere they have to be offer to stay late so they don’t have to worry about figuring it out

- Thank your co-workers for doing a good job, for getting extra supplies, for thinking ahead, for being easy to work with

- Donate your old car and clothes to charities

- Go to your friend’s kid’s event

- Buy the stuff the neighbor kid is selling - Moderately, of course;)

- Stop at the neighbor kid’s lemonade stand and make a purchase

- Create a “Dress-Up” box for a kid

- Pick up the tab - Go up to the waiter and pay when no one is watching (of course only if you’re in the financial situation to do so)

- Avoid gossip - No need to spread any negativity

- Be understanding - Assume the best in others. If someone is running late or has called in sick don’t assume they’re trying to get out of something.

- Be friendly on public transportation

- Spread the word - If you know someone who takes pictures, paints interiors, is a super nanny, a wonderful accountant, etc. Let others know. People who work for themselves need word of mouth referrals more than anyone else.

- Be inviting - Ask people to do something with you

- Leave extra time in the parking meter

- Don’t write the complaint letter that you’re thinking about writing

- Hang out with the person who just moved to town

- Drop quarters on the sidewalk for people to find

- Leave a whole bunch of pennies heads-up

- Be understanding of traveling parents with the grumpy or noisy kids

- Pack extra snacks and offer them to your co-workers or friends

- Leave good books (or other nice stuff) for your fellow apartment dwellers to takefrom your shared common spaces

- Compliment people on their homes

- Forgive the person you used to hate back in the day

- Make amends for the wrongs you have done

 - Be happy for others

- Mind your own business

- Selflessly help (and promote) others

- Help people out who might be feeling awkward

- Let someone else have their way without putting up a fight about it

- Participate - The people who organize events always worry that no one will take part. That ugly sweater contest or bake-off needs you!

- Respond timely – Even if you have to say, “Hey, just wanted to let you know I got your email and I’ll get right back to you.” People like to know they’re not being ignored.

Spread the goodness - Let others know you are on a mission to spread kindness and they will be inspired to do the same!

You can be the change you want to see. Let’s do what we can, together.