Dedicate your day to Adopting a Person – or people as you see, meet, pass them. Here’s a simple way to bring more happiness into your life and into the world.
Become a vehicle for kindness and friendliness as you go about your normal daily activities. Bring people back into the family of humanity by acknowledging their presence. Spread kindness one person at a time and notice how you feel. It may be a silent moment inside of you that warms your heart or it may involve an actual interaction with another person.
Some of the ways to Adopt a Person:
Smile at someone
Say “Thank you”
Hold a door open for someone
Say “Hello”
Look someone in the eye with warmth and friendliness
Wave and smile at a stranger
See with warm, kind eyes as you walk through a market place or drive your car
If someone speaks to you, pause and really listen
Give someone else the parking spot
Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know
Compliment someone on how they look or something they did
Make someone feel seen or heard
Find your own creative way to send gestures of kindness and good will
First do this with people that are easy for you to feel natural kindness and friendliness toward – even strangers. Don’t forget to include those closest to you.
Then go the extra mile and do it with people that are difficult – pause and find one thing about them that you can appreciate or respect and let that be the catalyst for returning to an inner feeling of kindness for that person—even if you don’t speak to him or her.
You might even want to keep track of how many people you Adopt in a day. But be sure to notice how you feel when you do this simple practice of the heart. You may notice you are more aware of others and less absorbed in your own stories for awhile.
Also be sure to notice how others respond to you, whether you speak to them or not. Your inner and outer presence will convey to them your intention to be kind and friendly.
This is something you have to try for yourself. You can’t just think about it. You have to put it into action to know the results.
