7 Days of Kindness Challenge

It started with one person - one random act.

Hot, humid, sticky...and impatient! That's how I was feeling (hot, sticky & impatient) one recent sunny Northern Michigan summer afternoon. Let me back up a little and explain.

All I wanted was a Diet Coke, but not just any Diet Coke - it had to be a fountain pop (call me crazy but there is a difference in taste between a fountain drink and a canned/bottled one!). And in my small town there's two options - the gas station or McDonald's.

Thinking it would be quick (and well easy - no getting out of the car, going in, etc.) I opted to go through the drive through at McDonald's. The line up of cars to order was a bit long and I could have chose to drive away but I didn't. Instead I got stuck in the line of traffic and found myself getting hotter and more impatient and irritable as the time ticked by.

Once I made it to the window to pay, I was irritated that it had taken so long. I wanted to pay, be grumpy and get on my way. But something happened that immediately convicted me of my poor attitude. The girl at the window was grinning from ear to ear and bubbling with excitement as she shared the news - the person in front of you paid for your order.

And she got even more excited and more animated as I handed her cash to pay for the person behind me. She went on to tell me the story:

It started several cars ago - a person paid for the car behind them and told me to tell them to have a great day and to pay it forward. And they did and so did the next person and the next person and the next person and so on. You are now making the person behind you car #7 that has had the pay it forward experience!

It gave me goose bumps and a huge attitude adjustment. And good grief - why was I choosing to be irritated and impatient when I made the decision to stay in the line in the first place (knowing it was long and not moving very quickly!).

I'll never know how many pay it forward experiences there were that day but I still get goose bumps thinking about it. And now every time I go for my Diet Coke - don't judge ;-) - I continue to pay it forward.

[tweetthis display_mode="box"]Isn't it time to be more like Jesus & love those around us regardless of race, religion, & more? [/tweetthis]

Since that day I've been thinking about all the things going on around me (the horrible acts of violence, racism, and more) and how we all need to see and be a part of more kindness. Maybe we can't change the horrific things going on in the world, but we can still make a positive impact around us...one small act at a time!

That small act of kindness at McDonald's did me in - I can't stop thinking about it and how I just want to show others around me love, kindness, and that they matter. So I decided to create a 7 day challenge for myself and got so excited about it that it made sense to invite others to participate too!

We don't have to do some over the top large gesture to impact the lives of those around us. In fact, sometimes it's the little things (like smiling at some one, holding a door open, etc.) that mean the most. So this challenge is all about doing small random acts of kindness.

Why 7 days?

I chose 7 days because in the grand scheme of things, committing to do something every day for just 7 days isn't that big of a deal! Everybody can find time to commit to a seven day challenge.

I want in!

Ready to be a part of the action to? Simply enter your name and email address below and for the next 7 days you'll receive an email from me that will give you a suggested act to do for that day. (remember - I'm just giving you suggestions, you're more than welcome to create your kindness acts!)

JUST ENTER YOUR NAME & EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW:

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Can't wait to hear all about your experiences over the course of the 7 day challenge!