How to Celebrate Kindness - One of the Greatest Gifts You Can Give

The barista was beaming as I walked up to the counter of my local coffee shop. She handed me a note which said, “Thank you for earlier Brian, this one’s on me.”

It was from a woman who had earlier asked me about a portable stand I use for my laptop. This stand was a godsend for my stiff neck, so I was delighted to tell her all about it. We had a lighthearted conversation about bad backs and computers, and that was it. I had forgotten all about it until she handed me the note.

All my life I’ve been told about the power of random acts of kindness. In the previous months, I’d been working to make it a habit. It may sound cliché, but every day at my local coffee shop, I’d leave money with the barista to pay for a person’s coffee. They never knew who left the money, but it brightened up the day for all involved, including the barista. Now I was on the receiving end and it felt amazing, fully reinforcing my belief in the power of kindness.

This experience left a permanent mark. Now I try to implement this practice in many areas of my life. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. There are lots of free ways to kindly lift someone's day.

Create a ‘Smile Day’ where you make it a point to smile at everyone you come across (Monday is great for this). You’ll be surprised by how many people smile back, and you’ll both feel better for your actions.

Call up an old friend and reconnect. It doesn’t have to be weird. Tell them something sparked an old memory, and you just wanted to say hi.

Pop into your parents or siblings unexpectedly, and ask them about a favourite memory. Or break out an old photo album and take a walk down memory lane. Then make sure you spend time chatting about it.

Leave a handwritten thank you note when you go to a cafe or restaurant. Few people take the time to do this today, and you’ll be sure to bring a smile to waiters face… as long as you still give a tip!

If you have money, that’s great too. Have you ever found a €2 coin on the ground? Feels amazing, doesn’t it? How about gifting someone that feeling. Next time you’re in your local coffee shop, randomly leave €2 on the ground. The joy you’ll get is worth far more than the price of a cup of coffee.

Get a loved one an unexpected gift. It’s even better if it’s something they have mentioned before. This shows that you’ve been listening, which is one of the greatest gifts of all.

This works great with strangers too. You can randomly pay for someone's coffee, give money to the homeless, or next time you’re driving through a car toll, pay for the person behind you. They might be puzzled, but I’m sure it will bring a smile to their face.

Random acts of kindness don’t have to be difficult, complicated, or expensive. If you have money, great. If not, you can smile, listen, or simply chat with a stranger. But make sure you celebrate kindness — it’s one of the greatest gifts you can give.

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