Welcome to another day of college life! We wake up, take a shower, brush our teeth, get dressed, drive to work, or get your computers out for school… all part of our routine. What if we woke up and as we turn the alarm off, we immediately send an uplifting text message to a friend? What if we surprised our family with a warm breakfast? What if we let that guy merge into traffic with a wave and a smile instead of feeling upset?

As we celebrate World Kindness Day, I invite you to look for ways to bring kindness into your daily life. World Kindness Day is a great day to begin building a new routine which means including moments of kindness, laughter, and delight. It also means taking a moment to enjoy and recognize when those things are happening to you.

GSC Ambassador Tasia Owens made a list of a few things that you can try to bring kindness into your routine:

  1. Pay for the meal of the person behind you in line
  2. Comment something nice on a stranger’s social media post
  3. Make a meal for your house-mates
  4. Tip your barista
  5. Take a bath with nice oils (self-kindness)
  6. Call a friend or family member to check up on them
  7. Let someone know the positive effect they’ve had on your life
  8. Make a donation to charity
  9. Offer to run errands for someone who has a harder time getting out
  10. Become an organ donor
  11. Allow someone to help you
  12. Wear a mask
  13. Write an email thanking people in our community for the work they’ve put in during the pandemic (ie. ER staff)
  14. Plant a tree
  15. Post something positive and uplifting
  16. Pick up some trash (with gloves please)
  17. Leave a positive review for a business
  18. Do research on a social justice topic you know little about
  19. Give your pet a treat or new toy
  20. Make Ecosia your default web browser

Remember kindness starts with YOU. Just one smile. One compliment. One cup of coffee. One conversation.

Tasia Owens
GSC Ambassador