Paying It Forward

Well...tomorrow is the big day.  I'm still getting ready with lists of things to do.  Ideas and feedback are always appreciated!  

A friend asked me today if what I hope hope to achieve is sort of like the "Pay It Forward" idea.  I said "ya I think part of it is."  Initially I hadn't thought of being inspiring to anyone.  I've never considered myself inspiring at all....but usually the person that needs inspiring!  (I am a terrible pessimist).  So yes, I really do hope people will feel good and pass on the good deed at some point.  It doesn't have to be something big or flashy, but something as subtle as a kind word or smile to someone who really needs it can really make a difference.  As someone pointed out in a comment yesterday "The world could use a few million angels like you this year." We all have a little "angel" inside of us.   I guess that's how we get to a million...by Paying It Forward.

So what will I do tomorrow?  All I will say is that it involves helium ......

2 More Sleeps!

Thank you to everyone who has commented so far...the encouragement is so helpful and appreciated : )

I am very excited about my first day...in 2 more sleeps!  It's not like it's that different than any other, but yet it's sort of the beginning of something positive and consistent in my life.  I wonder how others will react and if they'll think I'm crazy.  We all worry about what other think of us at times and I guess this is something I'll be confronting.   Last night, in efforts to help my social anxiety, I joined an adult acting class!  It really was fun and definitely helps you step out of your comfort zone.  So anyway, when I walk up to a stranger and give them something, how will they react?   I'm not sure what I should say or if I should put a note in it about what I'm doing.  Maybe something like "You are the recipient of a random act of kindness.  Pass it on!"  Any ideas?  

Why am I blogging this???

I was on my way home from driving my daughter to the bus stop today and I started thinking about why I am actually blogging about random acts of kindness.  Will people think I want attention and just tooting my own horn?  The answer is yes and no.  As a person with social anxiety (and I'm not speaking for everyone out there with anxiety issues), public attention is very hard.  But attention drawn as a means to inspire others to think about kindness on a daily basis is a good thing.  When I thought of the idea and what I wanted to get from it, attention was certainly not of my list of wants.   After being home for so many years with anxiety and depression,  I needed to feel like I was doing something worthwhile...contributing to the world and people in a positive way.  Making other people smile.   People everywhere perform kind acts every day towards one another, from holding a door for someone to buying their co-worker lunch, but they don't blog about it.  So why am I?  I'm blogging because I know myself very well and if I don't write about it and feel accountable, I will stop.   I read an amazing book last year called "Man's Search For Meaning" by Victor E. Frankl.  He was a psychiatrist who, taken prisoner, laboured in the Nazi death camps.  He survived and went on to develop a therapy known as logotherapy, which holds that "our primary drive in life is not pleasure, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful."  On the days I wake up and don't feel like getting out of bed or don't feel any motivation to leave the house, I have a reason now.   It's going to be a great day : )

Getting Ready!

So...as you may have read in my profile, I will be starting my 365 days of Random Acts of Kindness.  I'll be starting on October 1st, 2010.  I'm excited and anxious at the same time to start! I am starting to put together some ideas and lists of things I want to do and who I want to give to and how.  There are so many people and groups to appreciate in this way.  From strangers on the street to groups of people.  We all deserve kindness!  I want to bring my awareness to "kindness" for this year and see where it takes me.   I feel blessed to be in a place in my life to be able to put my heart and soul into this adventure and share my experience in an open and meaningful way.  My husband has always said to me "Do whatever you need to be happy, B,  and I will be twice as happy as you."   Deep inside of me I know this is something I want to do and I have much to give and even more to gain.  And yet, I am stepping out of my comfort zone and into a place that will make me confront my fears and push myself beyond what I think I'm capable of some days.  Can I do this?  How will I feel?  This will be interesting.  Deep breaths!