I remember last year, I was in a situation where I was in a queue in the bank and an emergency happened.
I knew that if I lost that queue it would then cause me to incur late fee charges as this emergency would take the entire day and I couldn’t come by another day to run this errand at the bank.
I spoke to the lady at the counter reception to inform her of my situation. And with just a simple gesture of empathy, I was led to get my queue early and get it done in two minutes.
Just like the simplest act of kindness from a stranger above, we’re here to talk about all the small little things that you could do to show you care.
Let’s go!
1. Smiling
It’s as simple as it sounds. For all the things that you aren’t able to do monetarily or even with some effort ( like for eg. helping a neighbor with carrying groceries), the least you can perform is a smile and nod in acknowledgement.
As the theologian and philosopher John Ray says , ” Beauty is Power, a Smile is it’s sword.”
Some of us own smiles that could melt the sun, bring out sunshine and turn a frown upside down. So contribute to the community by spreading the happiness and charity of a simple smile.
I remember a former colleague who always smiled whenever anyone had eye contact with him. His smile was so genuine and enigmatic that you naturally feel calm in a stressful situation. He took things really well, handled himself excellently under pressure and you just knew that if you had him on your shift, things will turn out okay.
That’s the kind of vibe we’d want to share with the World. So share that.
2. A small token
People underestimate the power of a small insignificant gift. What would that look like you may ask ?
A small token can be in any form. Like a hand-written note telling a coworker to smile when you see her down and out in her cubicle. Buying your team ice cream during lunch, just because. Grabbing one stalk of rose for your Mum when you come home from work to thank her for cooking dinner.
Surprising a friend on an errand that they’ve been wanting to run ( like getting staples) but they just couldn’t find the time. You actually listened when they talked to you. And it’s been a week since they keep talking about the staples. And you just decided to just go get it for them.
Even when you pick up something for a neighbor cos you know their routine and just wanted to do something nice that day.
You may think that all these gestures doesn’t matter but you’d see that these are the things that people remember you for. And you’d be surprised how a small gesture makes a huge difference in someone’s day or week.
3. A listening ear
Everybody, no matter how steady you think they are, need a listening ear from time to time. Whether it’s to share a burden of a secret, to get another opinion, to rant, to find a voice of reason or to help figure out a solution, being someone’s listening ear or shoulder to cry on is a definite need in this World.
This lets someone know that they’re not alone on this journey. That they’re being heard and concerned about. Sometimes these are just methods to show that we care without doing anything overboard or expensive (like counselling ). Be a friend, be a listening ear. Help to diffuse the pain, help calm the rage and show some love. Life is a constant struggle and for some of us, the struggle and challenges are more than most of us.
You might even save a life, you never know.
4. Compliments
Positive affirmation is what it’s called too. Let someone know they’re beautiful or brilliant or that they’ve done a good job. It goes a long way for team spirit and the joy and harmony in a household, family, marriage and even friendship circles. Celebrate them and show how powerful and impactful they are.
If you’re not comfortable giving compliments, practice. Make it a habit. The more you share your feelings about something positive, the more you’d be appreciated too. Just see how people will reciprocate. Cos they definitely will.
5. Touch
Okay so, disclaimer here. Don’t just go around touching people willy nilly okay. Haha. Permission and comfort first. If you’re not sure if they’re comfortable, especially if they’re the opposite gender, then please don’t.
Be safe always and do protect yourself from any sexual harassment issues.
But but but… if it’s a friend, a colleague you know well enough or if it’s going to be an acquaintance that you’re familiar with, a small pat on the back, squeeze on the edge of their elbow, a hug or nudge to say hello, that’s something that people sometimes depressurize from. They snap out of the mundane and reset themselves. It gives them a tiny spark to a gloomy day that someone actually “sees” them.
Touch, just like talking is a very intimate situation. So do lay your cards right to avoid misunderstanding and misinterpretation of your actions.
Hope you find these simple gestures easy to practice and perform cos it truly is. The more you apply these gestures, the more you get the karma points for all the lovely moments you create with people around you.
Doing something just to make other people feel good about themselves or feel good in general, is a lifetime of happiness churned out and it would be paid forward quadruple times over if the ripple effects make it to the ocean. And in good time, it will.
Stick around to hear more about the simple life on our next article.
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