@Hiddencash

What a wonderful idea. A secret samaritan has been hiding cash around the city in San Francisco and has been posting clues for the treasure hunt on Twitter (@Hiddencash). I saw this story on the news a few days ago and it got me thinking. There are many ways to put back positivity and kindness into the world without too much effort. I remember going to withdraw cash a few years ago near my home and on top of the ATM, next to the key pad was a book. There was a sticker on it inviting me to read the book and then replace it somewhere in public for someone else to find.

I didn’t take the book but the generosity still affected me in a positive way and I left with a big smile on my face. We are all softies underneath and enjoy happy stories about life. It reinforces our faith in humanity and reminds us that there is a lot of good in the world. In fact I believe that the more positivity you send out, the happier you become. It is those with negative beliefs about others, those that have been hurt in the past and have not received closure and perspective that tend to see the worst in others. They believe they are protecting themselves from further hurt when in fact they are marinating in toxic thoughts that will never enable them to experience faith, kindness and trust. Becoming a part of that positive energy can be hugely rewarding. Making your focus about others instead of ourselves.

In fact – I have found out something quite interesting. When attempting to get others to know about my blog and share it’s benefits, I often get more results by spending my time congratulating others on their great blog posts, liking other people’s tweets and sharing their information than when I concentrate solely on letting others know about my blog. Offering positive feedback, complimenting others, retweeting and writing a sincere note to someone to let them know they are doing a good job not only allows us to feel great bit also makes a huge impression on others. We all want to feel validated and if you want to leave an impression on others during your stay on Earth, let someone else know you appreciate them or what they do.

Those that have taken the time to write and give me positive feedback (as well as constructive criticism) are very important to me. They also help me to feel I am making a difference and that they have noticed what I do. Never assume that someone is too busy to appreciate a kind word.

Kind deeds to consider:

Compliment a stranger on their appearance

Smile at a stranger

Let a stranger out in the traffic

Pay for someone else’s tea/coffee

Pay for someone else’s parking ticket

Have flowers delivered to some one you care about

Let someone know on social media (Twitter, FaceBook, Google+ etc) how you appreciate their message/what they do

Donate to charity

Try to do one kind deed every day. Don’t expect anything back for it, do it because you want to. The spirit of kindness is destroyed when we expect gratitude back because if we don’t get it the result is negative. Be kind and generous  irrespective of whether someone else will appreciate it or not. Let’s start a kind deed revolution – a whirlpool of positivity gaining momentum (Sorry – so cheesy and cliched but I’m on a roll now…). Imagine how wonderful this planet could be! Just reframing your thinking to be more positive without taking any action would make a huge difference…positive thinking ultimately leads to positive action.

Mandy X

Author: Mandy Kloppers

Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.