Random Acts of Kindness

By: Julie East, Corp. Marketing & Recruiting

Jan 5, 2021


I was in heavy traffic last week – the kind of traffic only a holiday can provide:  bumper-to-bumper, tense drivers, colorful gestures….You get the idea.  A few vehicles ahead of me, a woman in a silver car was trying to pull out of the shopping center into traffic, but the drivers ahead of me pulled closer to each other to block her from entering. Once I had the room, I held my brake to let her in.  As she was pulling out into traffic, she turned and gave a big wave and a smile.  

You have heard the old saying, “Love makes the world go ‘round.” Well, it’s true. In a time when everyone is fighting their own battles, nothing can have a bigger impact on someone’s day than a random act of kindness. It doesn’t have to be a big production, and it doesn’t require a lot of effort. In fact, as we enter this new year, being kind to the people you meet would be the simplest habit you could pick up! You don’t have to overthink it, because even the smallest things can make a huge difference. If you are unsure where to start, below is a list of simple acts of kindness.   

  • Tell someone “Good morning.”
  • Give someone a simple compliment.
  • Buy someone behind you in line their morning coffee.
  • Bring a box of donuts, bagels, or muffins to your co-workers.
  • Send a box of donuts, bagels, or muffins to a nursing home.
  • Hold the elevator or door open for someone.
  • Give up your seat on the bus or subway.
  • Give up a good parking spot.
  • Leave extra quarters at the laundromat.
  • Let someone behind you at the supermarket checkout first.
  • Help someone grab an item off a high shelf (if you can).
  • Help someone struggling with heavy bags or a heavy item.
  • Write a letter to someone in a nursing home.
  • Help someone take a photo.
  • Stop and help someone with a flat tire.
  • Carry a $5 gift card with you and give it to someone randomly.
  • Let someone else get seated before you at a busy restaurant.
  • Share your table with someone at a busy food court.
  • Send someone a handwritten letter or postcard.
  • Bring someone a souvenir.
  • Cook someone a meal.
  • Bake someone treats.
  • Do someone’s laundry.
  • Make someone a music playlist.
  • Give someone a book you think they’d like.
  • Put extra change in the vending machine before you walk away.
  • Wash someone’s car.
  • Babysit, dogsit, or catsit for free.
  • Go out of the way to offer someone a ride.
  • Mow someone’s lawn after mowing your own.
  • Send someone a care package.
  • Take someone on a spontaneous adventure.
  • Leave a positive sticky note on someone’s desk.
  • Take someone out to lunch.
  • Lend out your umbrella when it’s pouring outside.
  • Make two lunches for work and give one away.  

These gestures, along with countless others, can completely change the scope of someone’s day, but there are benefits for you, as well.  Once you commit to the habit of performing random acts of kindness, you’ll find the effect on your own life is even greater than the effect on others.  As our founder, Tommy Lofton, always says, “When we help others, we help ourselves.” So why not start today?  If everyone would pledge to be more kind to those around us, what a wonderful world this could be!  

About Lofton: Founded in 1979, Lofton Services offers clients the best of all worlds. We provide the responsive, personal service and flexibility of a small local firm while having the technology, resources, and infrastructure to deliver the benefits of the biggest players in our industry. Lofton Staffing can deliver the right people, with the right skills, right when you need them. Contact us today

 


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