The Ripple Effect: Kindness Matters

Oprah today showed a celebrity, Will I Am, give four full scholarships to students who would not be able to go to college otherwise. This story reminded me of the importance of kindness and the theories of "the ripple effect" and "paying it forward". In Will I Am's case, he was from a single parent home and he said that his mother "raised him right." By her choice to be a good parent and work hard to make sure he was decent despite his friends ending up in jail, on drugs, and school drop-outs, she paved the way for his future actions, which has now turned into giving four young men having a better future who might also "pay it forward" and someday show an equal kindness. Sometimes, we do not know where our kindness towards others will lead, but I believe a kind act is never wasteful.

I think it is important for us to be more aware of kindness, what it means, and how to increase it. It has the power to change the world. Kindness starts with the self. The more kind we learn to be to ourselves, the more we are kind to others, even when we are not paying attention. Happiness breeds. It can be like a contagion just as misery can be. So, what kind thing will you do for yourself today? I'm going to hug Johnny (double kindness)!