Kindness is not timid or weak. Instead, kindness is a revolutionary act of generosity and compassion. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to be kind to others and kind to yourself. The first World Kindness Day was introduced as an international holiday in 1998. A coalition of kindness NGOs got together to form the World Kindness Movement, and November 13th is an annual opportunity for people to practice kindness. If you haven’t already, there is no better time than now to celebrate World Kindness Day this year!

What is kindness? Kindness is about seeing the best in people. It is a conscious choice to put out love and grace into the world instead of bitterness and anger. Naturally, most people are not kind 100% of the time. Everyone struggles with certain people or situations that set off their worst emotions. However, these are great opportunities to practice giving kindness to ourselves. 

Gratitude can be a great portal into the beautiful world of lovingkindness. If you don’t know where to start, then begin with a nightly gratitude ritual. Try writing down five things you’re grateful for at the end of each day. See if you can keep it going for a full week. Set aside a special notebook to serve as your gratitude journal. Once you start to cultivate this mindset, you might start to notice big shifts in your daily life.

In the end, kindness is a practice of empathetic connection. After all, we are all connected and share many experiences in common. No matter where we live or what background we come from, we all share a connection to the earth. We all have hopes and dreams and we all deserve kindness.

This World Kindness Day, November 13th, take a moment to remember our interconnectedness. Practice gratitude for yourself and others and make a commitment to bringing more kindness into the world, one day at a time. Please remind everyone you know to celebrate World Kindness Day this year!