KindSpring 21-Day Challenge

Kindness that catches us by surprise brings out the best in our natures. -- Bob
Kerrey
Day 1: Rev up the engines -- it's time to upgrade someone's day from mundane to
magical with unexpected kindness! Kick off the Kindness Challenge by leaving extra
change in a vending machine for the next person, or give $5 to the cashier at your
favorite cafe and ask them to gift someone a cappuccino or delectable pastry during the
day. If you want to step-it-up, bake or buy a sweet treat and gift it as a surprise to a
hardworking someone, maybe the janitor in your building, or the friendly face at the
checkout counter, or the colleague who's having a rough day. Because there is nothing
quite as disarming as unanticipated kindness, and your small act just might restore
someone's faith in the goodness of humanity.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small
act daily, share their stories and photos with the community.
One small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave
footprints in your heart. --Eleanor Roosevelt
Day 2: Today is the day to finally send that email or make that phone call to a special
friend in your life whom you haven't been in touch with for a while. Maybe it's someone
you made mud pies with in kindergarten, or a college roommate with whom you
pontificated on the meaning of life. Maybe it's someone you had a beautiful four-hour
conversation with on an airplane. Whoever it is -- dig up that email, diary or scrap of
paper that has their contact information on it or go questing on Facebook! If you want to
step-it-up reach out to this person with a heartfelt message of gratitude for the role they
played in your life and the fun or poignant memories you shared together. Make their
day and your own -- because there's nothing quite like the unconditional affection of an
old friend!
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other people
and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small
act daily, share their stories and photos with the community.
One small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
A book is a gift you can open again and again. --Garrison Keillor
Day 3: Books can serve as lifelines and lighthouses along our journey. They can be a
place of refuge and renewal. Think of a book that has special meaning for you and gift
it to someone you think would enjoy it. Maybe it's a book that shaped your life
trajectory, or comforted you through a difficult patch, maybe it's a book that had you
erupting into uncontrollable giggles. Have fun thinking about the perfect person to
send it to in your life -- or let serendipity strike and leave it on a park bench or at a
restaurant table! If you'd like to step-it-up, inscribe a special message in it, or slip a
handwritten note between the covers describing what this book means to you and
why you want to pass it on.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a
rather large amount of Gratitude. -- A.A. Milne
Day 4: The daily whirl of our lives is supported by the steadfast contributions of so
many unsung heroes. From the person who delivers your mail, and the one who
collects your garbage, to the bus driver who gets you to school or work on time, and
the police officers who help keep your neighborhood safe.Today is your chance to
celebrate one of them! Make time to express your gratitude verbally. And if you
want to step-it-up think of a small gift you can surprise them with and accompany it
with a personalized Thank You card. Because everyone appreciates appreciation :)
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have
a collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away [...]
Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. -- Barry Lopez
Day 5: The headline stories on TV and in the newspaper often focus on sensational,
negative stories. But hidden from the spotlight, everyday people are making
tremendous contributions towards the common good all over the world. Their stories
and wisdom need to be heard. Pick an uplifting news story, video, passage or quote to
share with friends and family. To step-it-up find five different stories that send your
spirit soaring, and send each one to a different person in your life whom you think
might benefit from it. And if you need ideas for stories visit www.dailygood.org or
www.karmatube.org for a plethora of possibilities!
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small
act daily, share their stories and photos with the community.
One small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with
us or we find it not. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Day 6: Sometimes the smallest things can make the heart sing! Add a little touch of
beauty to your community today. Perhaps you'll choose to post an inspiring message
on a lamp post, or create vibrant chalk art on the sidewalk. Maybe you'll plant flowers
in your front yard for passersby to enjoy, or rake leaves or mow the lawn for your
neighbors. If you want to step-it-up throw a Trash Party! Bring friends and family
together to pick up litter in a public park or community space. No matter what you
choose to do, let today's act of kindness draw you into a deeper awareness of the
quiet beauty in your own life.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates
profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. --Lao-Tzu
Day 7: In today's world of texts, voice messages and email, receiving a handwritten
letter or card is increasingly rare. And yet we all know the incomparable feeling of
opening one up. There is something personal, vulnerable and profound in the act of
putting pen to paper, and translating heartfelt thoughts into ink. Today is your day to
do just that! Write a letter to a dear friend, relative or colleague who you are feeling
grateful to have in your life. To step-it-up, write to more than one person, include the
lessons you have learned from them, and how you have applied them in navigating
your own life.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness? --Jean Jacques
Rousseau
Day 8: How long can you go without complaining? This challenge sounds deceptively
simple but when you really try and practice it to the fullest, it becomes clear how
much self-awareness it takes to truly stop complaining. Not just at a vocal level but
also at the levels of thought and internal reaction. There is wisdom in being kind. This
day is an opportunity to try and step back from generating negativity and to try and
transform those moments of annoyance, anger or discomfort into an opportunity for a
kind thought, word or action. You might just be amazed by the results. And if you
want to step-it-up, extend today's challenge for the rest of the week!
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
Unexpected intrusions of beauty. This is what life is. - Saul Bellow
Day 9: Flowers have a way of warming the heart instantly. Spill some floral cheer
into someone's life today! Pick some flowers from your garden, or buy some from
your local florist. Or if you're feeling artistic, fashion your own flowers from cloth
or paper. Surprise a friend, neighbor, colleague, or relative with a charming
bouquet. To step-it-up, gift flowers to someone who renders an unheralded service
to the world. Maybe the security guard or the janitor at work, or a construction
worker or toll booth operator in your town.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll
have a collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts
from other people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. - Amy
Carmichael
Day 10: The most powerful gifts are those that come straight from the heart. Choose
something of yours that you treasure, and give it away to someone else as a gift.
Maybe it's a favorite item of clothing, or a framed picture, or a cherished book -anything that you hold dear and are ready to pay-forward. Now think of someone in
your life (or maybe it's a stranger) who would appreciate your gift, and send it their
way, with a note about the special meaning it holds for you. To step-it-up, give those
kindness muscles an extra-workout by giving something away that is a hard for you to
relinquish, but that you know would bring great joy to someone else.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
One can never pay in gratitude: one can only pay 'in kind' somewhere else in
life. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Day 11: Our lives rest on the quiet, unconditional kindness of so many people. We
don't always stop to acknowledge this fact in the whirlwind of daily life. Today, think
back to a particular act of kindness, big or small that touched you. Part of today's
challenge lies in the simple act of surfacing that moment in your consciousness. Now,
think of a way to pay-forward that act, either by doing the same thing for someone
else -- or a different kind act of your choosing done with the same unconditional spirit.
To step-it-up, after you pay-it-forward, send your gratitude in verbal, written or silent
form to the person whose kindness touched you.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. - Winston
Churchill
Day 12: Stuff, despite our best intentions, often tends to accumulate. We sometimes
end up with a closet or cupboard of wonderful things that we hardly, or never use.
Things that could make a world of difference to someone else. Today is the day to go
through that shelf or closet and pick out an item (or items) that you'd like to
pay-forward to a family in need, or a shelter, thrift store or orphanage in your area. It's
a wonderful feeling to give things a new lease of life in this way. To step-it-up host a
clothing drive amongst your circle of friends and family. It spreads joy, reduces your
imprint on the environment and has the added benefit of de-cluttering your space!
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small
act daily, share their stories and photos with the community.
One small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated
agent of human change. -- Bob Kerrey
Day 13: Today's challenge involves going beyond your usual circles and engaging
with someone you don't know very well. Maybe you will invite a new colleague to
coffee or lunch, or make an effort to talk to someone at your school who seems lonely.
Maybe you will strike up a conversation with the person next to you on the bus or the
subway, or spend time connecting with someone who is on the street. The idea is to
simply broaden your circle of caring in a small but heartfelt way. To step-it-up,
actively send silent good wishes towards everyone who crosses your path and notice
how this simple practice changes the quality of your day.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
-- Mother Teresa
Day 14: Sometimes we can get so caught up in our daily routine that we don't make
enough time to connect regularly with the people who care most deeply for us. Today,
carve out time to call someone who loves you dearly -- whether it's your parents, an
aunt or uncle or someone else who has played the role of guardian angel in your life.
Share with them some of your experiences from the kindness challenge and perhaps
ask them about an act of kindness they received that they've never forgotten. To
step-it-up, make a commitment to yourself to call this person regularly, whether it's
on a monthly, weekly or daily basis.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an
small act daily, share their stories and photos with the
community. One small step at a time, we change ourselves
and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
The artist is not a special kind of person; rather each person is a special kind
of artist. -- Ananda Coomaraswamy
Day 15: Whether or not you identify with the label "artist" or "creative spirit", this is
your day to express kindness using your hands! A handcrafted gift -- be it a scarf, a
poem, a homemade apple pie, a drawing or an artfully arranged vase of flowers, is more
than just a 'thing', it represents the time, effort, and heart of the giver in an utterly
unique way. Today is your chance to think of a special someone in your life to surprise
with a one-of-a-kind handcrafted gift -- or should we say heartcrafted gift! If you want
to step it up, set aside time every week in the upcoming month for creating a work of
heart. Don't worry about making it perfect -- just be sure to include a dash of
playfulness, a touch of whimsy and a lot of love.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small
act daily, share their stories and photos with the community.
One small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
In silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving and see how the pattern improves. -Rumi
Day 16: Today, carve out time in your day for quietude and stillness. Sometimes in the
whirl of activity and chatter of the weeks we lose connection with the deeper parts of
ourselves and our highest intentions. Moments of silence and stillness can be real teachers.
And the beauty of it is that by getting back in touch with ourselves we strengthen our
capacity for touching the lives of others. For fifteen minutes today, practice a form of
silence and going within that resonates with you, whether that's through meditation,
prayer, a simple walk in the garden, or just sitting on your front porch in gratitude.
Whatever the form, let the spirit of it be that of reconnecting with yourself. If you want to
step it up, increase the fifteen minutes to an hour. Use those moments of silence as a touch
point through the day. Notice how the quality of your attention and interactions change as
you carry that experience forward.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other people
and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small act
daily, share their stories and photos with the community. One
small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
A compliment is verbal sunshine. -- Robert Orben
Day 17: Today is the day to think your nice thoughts out loud. Sometimes we
underestimate the simple act and art of paying a genuine compliment. And yet we've all
experienced how words of warmth and heartfelt admiration can lift our spirits, and
rekindle faith in ourselves. So now is the time to pay that feeling forward! Use this day's
challenge as an opportunity to tune into the gifts of people around you. Whether it's a
colleague, friend, family member or a stranger you cross paths with on the street, take a
moment to really appreciate something about them, whether it's their smile, their attitude,
their actions or even something as simple as their outfit. If you want to step it up, make an
effort to pay an authentic compliment to every single person you have more than a
five-minute interaction with today. Notice how becoming more aware of the good you see
in others, and expressing it, has the immediate effect of sweetening your own day ...
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other people
and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small act
daily, share their stories and photos with the community. One
small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
The first duty of love is to listen. --Paul Tillich
Day 18: Each day we amass such a wealth of experience. Joy, sorrow, hope, wonder,
fear, love, disappointment, inspiration ... there is so much that a single life contains,
and sometimes the greatest gift we have to give -- is that of simply listening to each
other. So today's challenge is to make time to listen to someone in your life. Focus on
listening deeply, without judgment and with total presence, to whatever they have to
share, whether it's about their current struggles, highest aspirations or whatever else
may be bubbling to the surface in the moment. Because sometimes the humble act of
listening can do more to serve than even the most well-intentioned advice. If you want
to step-it-up, make a commitment to reach out to someone who you think could use a
listening ear each week.
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small
act daily, share their stories and photos with the community.
One small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
There is no small act of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the
world. -- Mary Anne Radmacher
Day 19: Today is a blank slate that awaits your compassion and creativity! Look around
you and imagine all the different things you can do to put a smile on someone's face
and a song in their hearts. Remember that you are here on this planet in an utterly
unique set of circumstances. There is no one else exactly like you in this here and now.
What you choose to do with your time and energy makes a special difference that only
YOU can make. So go out and share your gifts today in any way that calls out to you. If
you want to step it up, do an act of kindness that you have secretly been wanting to do,
but have been too shy, embarrassed or anxious to carry out before. Remember -- it's
never too late to be kind!
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small
act daily, share their stories and photos with the community.
One small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew. -- Marshall
McLuhan
Day 20: We are lifelong recipients of the Earth's generosity, right from the water we
drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the very ground beneath our feet.
Today, take a few moments to give back to the environment in some way. Maybe you
will walk or bike to work instead of driving, or bring your own bags to the grocery store.
Maybe you will plant a tree, reduce your water use, and be more mindful about
recycling. Maybe you will make an extra effort to unplug appliances when they are not
in use, and switch off unnecessary lights in your building. If you want to step-it-up,
make 3 eco-resolutions that you will stand by for the rest of the year. We live on such a
beautiful and giving planet -- let our actions today be our way of saying, "Thank You!"
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small
act daily, share their stories and photos with the community.
One small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. -Cicero
Day 21: On this final day of the Kindness Challenge, pause to acknowledge the myriad
experiences of the past three weeks. What an adventure it's been. Kindness has a
tendency to travel both ways, enriching both giver and receiver. So for today's act of
kindness, start a gratitude journal. Reflect on three gifts your life holds that you are
grateful for, and write them down. Big or small, momentous or mundane, it matters not.
The point is to draw your awareness to the treasures your life contains. If you want to
step it up, commit to writing three things you are grateful for in your journal every
day. Gratitude will always be close kin to kindness. A thankful heart can't help but spill
over with compassion and caring!
REFLECT AND SHARE
Share your reflection on our private feed on KindSpring, and by the end you'll have a
collection of beautiful entries in one place! You can also read thoughts from other
people and browse through additional resources and inspiration.
KindSpring Challenge: For 21 days participants do an small
act daily, share their stories and photos with the community.
One small step at a time, we change ourselves and the world.
© BY-NC-ND 4.0 | www.kindspring.org
On social media:
#KindSpring21