At the end of last year my brother and his wife gave me this little book and it's full of interesting advice. When I saw the title of Chapter 56, "Schedule Time For Kindness" it seemed a little shallow. We should automatically be kind. Right?
But the older I get the more I reflect, and if there is anything I've learned it is to not assume that anything in life will happen "automatically". We need to intentionally build things into our routine to insure things will get done.
In this case, reaching out to others works like this:
You look at your calendar and set aside a little time on a regular basis - maybe five or ten minutes, whatever - but you stick to it just like an important appointment. At the appointed time you drop what you're doing and send a heartfelt letter or note to someone, or call a friend to tell them how much they mean to you. Or you spend time thinking about how to creatively contribute to someone else's life or your church or community. Rather than simply hit the like button on someone's Facebook, why not take a minute to express appreciation for a specific memory? Or call an old friend?
The author says the strategy has proven to be powerful and effective in his life. After all, the world could use a little more kindness, don't you think?
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