Be Kind & WIN initial investment , because every dollar given to the Foundation remains within the charity and only the interest is used to RAK people . Thus every contributed dollar continues to work forever !
FEATURE 7
Can I Raise Kindness perature ?
STORY BY NADINE HICKMAN
“ Imagine if everyone on the one day did something , like if everyone on the one day , at the same time , jumped up and down , would the earth spin off its axis ? If everyone on one day was kind , what would that do to New Zealand ? It would be amazing !”
Being this type of person , who inspires and uplifts those they come in to contact with is one of the simplest acts of kindness and all it takes is a little bit of thought . Ask yourself this : “ When someone comes in to contact with me , do they leave feeling better for it ?” What a great way to go about your day , trying to be that person . How differently would you react or respond , what different body language or words would you use ? Even a smile could make someone else ’ s day .
Megan agrees that R . A . K is much more than just a day . She says that the biggest criticism she hears is , “ Oh , we should be kind all of the time , not just for one day .” But Megan likes to equate R . A . K to the concept to celebrations like Mother ’ s Day . “ We love our Mums every day , but on one special day we make a really special effort .”
The whole point is raising awareness .
The concept of Random Acts Of Kindness is not new , but as far as Megan is aware NZ is the only country to have a national RAK Day .
The best thing about kindness is that it ’ s such a simple thing , but it can have such a huge effect on the recipient , and also on the giver for that matter !
Some kindness acts do involve spending a little bit of money , like buying a stranger a coffee , but the real idea is things like , letting some one in to traffic , giving a compliment ,
taking some baking over to a neighbour … little things that mean so much .
The effects of kindness can not be over estimated . A few words of kindness really can change someone ’ s entire day , and then that can have a flow on effect to how that person treats someone else and so on . Who would of thought that a simple kind word could have such a ripple effect !
Megan tells me of one of her recent experiences ,
“ I stepped in the path of a young woman striding down the street towards me , she looked so good , so well put together , and I just said , ‘ Excuse me , you just look so good today .’ Her face just broke open and she said ‘ Of my gosh , thank you so much !’ and off she went on her way . And I thought , ‘ How easy is that !’ ”
As well as R . A . K day , there is also the R . A . K Foundation .
The RAK Foundation enables Random Acts of Kindness to continue throughout the year . People receive an Act of Kindness from the Foundation who have a need or who just deserve a thank you for going above and beyond to help someone else .
The principle is that those who give to the Foundation continue to be a part of every future Foundation RAK without decreasing the value of the
Be Kind & WIN initial investment , because every dollar given to the Foundation remains within the charity and only the interest is used to RAK people . Thus every contributed dollar continues to work forever !
Megan would love to see the foundation grow so that they can be surprising and delighting people all of the time .
As far as the future of R . A . K Day , the goal is to continue with raising public awareness of the day , and having businesses , schools , and groups really embrace it . Businesses could use it as an opportunity for team building . In schools , what a wonderful opportunity to fill childrens ’ heads with kindness ideas .
So there you have it , now all that ’ s left to do is start your very own September kindness quest ! Hey , and while you ’ re at it , don ’ t forget to be kind to yourself !!
What experiences have you had as either the giver or the receiver of a Random Act Of Kindness ?
Or tell us - What Random Act Of Kindness have you done during the month of September ? Post your kindness story on our Facebook / thisandthatmag page and go in the draw to win two tickets to Dr Libby ’ s event “ From Surviving to Thriving ”, in Blenheim 11 Oct 2016 .