The Amazing Power of Kindness
A little kindness goes a long way. You've heard the phrase, right? It's true for many reasons. In addition to kindness being spread quickly from one person to another, kindness also has far-reaching effects for your business and personal life.
Kindness and Intention
Dr Wayne Dyer in his book, the Power of Intention, names seven faces of intention. They are, in no particular order,
- Love
- Creativity
- Beauty
- Expansion
- Unlimited Abundance
- Receptivity
- And Kindness
Kindness, Dyer deduces, is an innate power of intention because anything that has the capability to create must be kind. If it were unkind, it would destroy itself. Intention, as Dyer and many other spiritual and success experts have concluded, is an energetic power. When you're able to access this power, you can use it to create anything in your life you want - anything you intend.
People access the power of intention through verbal or written statements, for example, "I intend to launch a new product this year," through vision boards, and through quiet prayer. However, to amplify this power, one must embrace and be the seven faces of intention, including kindness.
When you're unkind, you block the power of intention and move away from what you want most. When you are kind and embrace kindness, you welcome the power of intention and move closer to your heart's desire.
Kindness and Attraction
The law of attraction is another energetic law, much like intention. The law of attraction has a number of definitions. However, one that is strongly held to be true is that your thoughts and beliefs dictate your reality. What you think and believe therefore will be true. If you believe everyone is out to get you then they will be and if you believe everyone is kind then they will be.
Whether or not this is completely true, you cannot argue with the fact that if you are kind and put out kindness both in your thoughts, beliefs and actions, you receive kindness in return. In fact, in the very popular book, The Secret, they discuss the fact that positive energy is much more powerful than negative energy and when you put out positive energy like kindness, you receive it tenfold back. Think about what that kind of energy could do for your business!
Kindness and Reciprocity
Reciprocity is the tendency people have to reciprocate or give back. It's often used in business to generate leads or sales. For example, a business may give away a book to motivate purchases and generate sales. However, reciprocity also works with kindness. When you perform an act of kindness, the person on the receiving end of the kindness and those who witness it tend to reciprocate by passing along the kindness to others. The kindness spreads. And of course, people are kind to you in return.
When you're kind to others, you receive kindness in return and you spread the kindness around the world. Consider the difference to your day between someone cutting you off and someone making room to let you merge into traffic. One motivates you to smile and wave, and probably reciprocate the kindness by letting someone else into traffic; the other may motivate you to offer a different hand gesture and a feeling of anger and defensiveness - not much fun for anyone.
Kindness and Better Health
Stress is a fact of life for most. It's a human coping mechanism; our bodies were designed for it. Some stress keeps us alive and protects us from harm. Other stress, stress we manifest in our mind like the stress when something doesn't go the way we expect it to, has a detrimental effect on our body. Our immune system is compromised, or organs age and we suffer diabetes, cancer, weight gain, insomnia and so on. It's not very pretty.
Kindness is the cure. In a study reported by ABC news on Women and Depression serotonin levels are increased when a person is kind or receives kindness. "Serotonin is not only a neurotransmitter allowing brain cells to talk to each other, but also a buffer against stress."
People who volunteer and who are generally kind in nature, often performing random acts of kindness, have higher serotonin levels. However, people who are recipients of kindness and who witness acts of kindness also receive a boost in serotonin. Serotonin is an endorphin that not only protects against depression; it strengthens your immune system and provides a 'feel good' effect.
The end result? When you're kind and surround yourself with kind people, you not only live a happier, healthier and less stressful life, you receive abundance. Kindness enables you to maximize your powers of intention and attraction. You're surrounding yourself with positive energy, which in turn attracts more positive energy. You have better customers, better partnerships, better working relationships, better personal relationships too, better experiences in and out of business and ultimately more profits and success.
There's no lose here. When you're kind, everyone benefits in myriad ways. The universe gives back, people give back and your own body gives back with increased serotonin. Kindness helps you embrace intention to create the life you desire. Kindness attracts more kindness and abundance. Kindness encourages reciprocity. And kindness improves your health and peace of mind.
Your next step....
Do something kind. Hold open a door for a mom with her arms full. Let someone merge into traffic ahead of you even though they may not deserve it and you may be in a hurry. Lend a helping hand to someone in need. Give someone a compliment. Share a smile with a stranger. The opportunities for kindness are limitless. And when you change your thoughts from negative to positive, from unkind to kind, your entire world changes.
Make kindness a habit. Practice kindness every day. When you feel an unkind thought or action bubbling up inside you, kick it aside and replace it with a kind, or at least a neutral, thought. For example, if someone cuts you off in traffic instead of cursing them out, you can consider the fact that maybe they honestly didn't see you or they're having a really difficult day. Have compassion and understanding. Soon you'll find that kindness is your default. That's when the real fun begins