I don’t like random acts of kindness.
On the spot, I think most people would agree and say they’re important and that we should practice them—but that doesn’t make any sense to me.
What’s helpful about anything that’s random?
I think we can do better.
What’s better than random acts of kindness?
Consistent acts of kindness.
Instead of only helping others when you feel like it or when you’re inspired, it’s more impactful to build systems, reminders, and resources to help others when you don’t feel like it.
It’s super easy to set a reminder on your phone (or a recurring event on your Google calendar) that reminds you to “send a text message to an old friend and let them know you’re thinking of them.”
It’s super easy to schedule time for yourself, once every quarter, to write a handwritten letter to a close friend and tell them how important they are.
It’s super easy to keep granola bars and bottles of water in your car so that you’re ready to help when you see a homeless person with a cardboard sign under a stop light.
Random acts of kindness just aren’t good enough.
It’s easy to build small habits, systems, and resources that help others—even when we forget or don’t feel like it.
We can do better.
Sure, we can deliver random acts of kindness, too. I do it all the time when I’m inspired—but that’s the easy part.
I’m asking you to do the harder part, too. And the truth is that it’s not even hard.
What can you do?
Go ahead, set a reminder on your phone. Set a recurring calendar event.
Do something that you love to do for others and get some momentum. Once you’ve built a habit that gives you a little hit of dopamine each time you do it, you’ll be more likely to expand on that habit or to be inspired to start a new one.
Practice consistent acts of kindness.
You might be surprised at how it energizes you and makes you want to do more!