Change your life and the world, one act of kindness at a time.
This was the message that came across in my interview with John Wang, who is the founder of, One Kindness, a movement that inspires people to perform one act of kindness everyday.
Kindness is a simple concept, but it's impact is large in scope. You have the ability to transform someone’s life for the better, just by a simple act or word. It's fair to say that the world would be a very different place if we showed kindness and compassion to every living being.
Are you ready to learn how kindness can change your life and the world? In the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” This is a special interview that you don't want to miss.
Watch the video below:
(Click here to watch on YouTube)
[smart_track_player url=”https://www.buzzsprout.com/9299/636378-plm-524-how-kindness-will-change-your-life-and-the-world.mp3″ background=”default” ]
Are you ready to change your life and the world, one act of kindness at a time? CLICK HERE to learn more about the One Kindness Challenge!
Small acts of kindness will change your life.
In our interview together, I pick John Wang's brain on the importance of kindness, how it can change your life, and how it can make a difference to society as a whole:
Can you share a little bit about the One Kindness Challenge and how you created it?
The One Kindness Challenge is based on a simple idea, which is, if you do one act of kindness every day, for 30 days, your life will transform. We have this misconception that kindness is something that we do for other people; that it's about improving other people's’ lives.
We think of people like the Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa going out there and doing great things, which is fantastic, but science shows how much of an impact kindness can have on improving our daily lives in three major ways – in the way that it shapes our personal relationships, in the way that it affects our income, and how it affects our health.
These are three things that we don't usually associate with kindness, but there are so many studies to support how something as simple as an act of kindness can change your life.
What inspired you to take initiative and create something like this?
It was by accident. Last year I was traveling through Nepal and while I was on a para-gliding adventure, I got stranded in the middle of a village. A man drove up beside me with this family and he asked me if I needed a ride somewhere.
While he was driving, I was talking to members of his family in the car, and I found out that he was actually going in the opposite direction that I was going. It was a huge deal for him to drive all the way back into town for me. At the end of our travels, I offered to give him some money to at least pay for his gas, and he said, “There is no need for that, because I'm not only doing this for you, I'm also doing this for me, because I find enjoyment in helping others.”
That changed my entire perspective with regards to what kindness is, and led me to ask myself, “What if we don't help people for other people, but we also help people in order to improve ourselves?” That's what planted the seed.
Later on, I would hear story after story from celebrities, entrepreneurs, and athletes of how kindness has impacted and improved their lives, simply by helping others. We are communal in nature.
What you put out into the world influences how other people see you. If you have the desire to start a business, are an entrepreneur, or work in a corporate setting, the best way to improve your social sphere is by contributing to the lives of others.
A great example is the story of Tony Horton, the Founder of P90X. I randomly met Tony at the gym in California, where him and his entire team were inventing these crazy workouts at the time. I asked if I could jump in and join his training session. It was the most intense workout that I've ever experienced. At the end of the workout I told him about what the One Kindness Challenge, and he shared with me a story of how his business came to fruition.
He started off as a personal trainer in LA, but was really struggling. During this time of his life, he was reading a book and came across a passage that read, “Go do something kind for someone that you don't like.”
So, he approached a guy at his gym, who had previously rubbed him the wrong way, and asked him if he wanted to be trained, for free. Overtime, they developed a relationship, and as this guy started to see results from Tony's efforts, he organized a meeting for Tony to meet with someone.
This person ended up being Tony's future business partner, and the one who funded P90X and started the empire. It all started with a simple act of kindness.
If we improve people’s lives, we can improve our own lives. It's not about the size of the act, but rather, the size of the impact. In this moment, I'm sure you can think of a moment when someone did something for you that, to them, may have been really small, but it brightened your entire day.
There was a very famous story of a guy who walked onto the Golden Gate Bridge and killed himself, and later on when the crime investigators went into his home, they found a note on top of his bureau that said, “Today I am going to walk to the Golden Gate Bridge. If one person smiles at me along the way, I will not jump.” It's so tragic, yet so powerful to think that something so small could have prevented this tragedy.
Kindness is something that we don't think about everyday – like opening a door, smiling at someone, or offering to help carry groceries to someone's car. These small gestures can have a massive impact in somebody else’s life.
Why do you think that so many people in society live with a negative state of mind? Where do you think that stems from?
Ultimately, I think it always stems from fear, especially if you are not yet where you know you can be in life. There are days when people wake up and wonder if they are capable of rising up to life’s challenges. Days like these create fear that gnaw away at us, and when we give into that fear, it's easy to put other people down.
This is why I believe that gratitude is one of the most powerful mindsets that you can have. When you wake up with gratitude, you live from a place of abundance, knowing that you have enough to thrive. Negativity comes from fear and uncertainty, and a sense that we are not good enough.
When we engage in an act of kindness, it creates a sense of warmth in our chest, which is actually caused by stimulation of the Vagus nerve, which is connected to the back of our brain stem. This nerve releases powerful positive feelings in our brain, which can trigger a sense of inspiration and motivation.
So, in a lot of ways, if you are having a bad day, and you don't want to keep going down that cycle, sometimes something as simple as engaging in a small act of kindness can change how you feel instantly.
What are some of the top benefits that people receive from doing your challenge for 30 days?
You should instantly feel different. There have been studies that show that it has a compounding effect. It's what they call, “a helper's high.” You get a hit of endorphins, and your brain wants to keep repeating that. It actually dissolves the stress that we carry in our body and everything becomes a bit lighter.
There was a study that was done across 40 different countries that found that, the #1 trait that the majority of people list as desirable in the opposite sex is kindness, above financial situation and sexual attractiveness.
We think that kindness is attractive, because if someone has the ability to be kind, than they must live an abundant lifestyle. We want people around us that are living and giving because that energy is infectious.
Research has found that businesses that have some element of giving are much more profitable, have happier employees, experience lower turnover, and have better customer satisfaction. Toms Shoes is a really good example of is. They have a buy 1, give 1 philosophy, where they give away a pair of shoes to someone in need.
If you take a look at almost any business, from small, solopreneur type businesses, all the way to these mega corporations, the ones that have initiatives, where they are able to help the communities around them, tend to do better, because we want to support businesses that are supporting us.
We like people who want to give. We trust them more, and it build deeper connections. It all comes down to empathy. If you can be empathetic enough to be aware of the needs of others, and come from a place of giving, the Universe will give back to you.
If there are people in your life that are difficult there's a reason for that. They are not mean because they are naturally born that way. Kindness is inherent. Children are all about giving and helping one another. When did we lose that? Usually, it's during the process of growing up, when we experience pain and wounding, and our reaction to those feelings is defensiveness. In turn, we end up wounding others.
Can you share with people the purpose of the bracelet that you wear and how it helps with the awareness aspect of it?
I wanted to wear something that could help remind me about the importance of kindness. It's so easy to forget about it, so I created a simple reminder, in the form of a bracelet.
On the one side it reads, “One Kindness”. Once I have engaged in one act of kindness, I flip the bracelet around, which shows our logo, which is a heart, with a check mark on it. This symbolizes that I have achieved what I set out to do.
Every single time that I look at the bracelet, I am reminded of that feeling I get when I've engaged in an act of kindness, and it brings a smile to my face. On top of that, my friends and family can see whether or not I've engaged an act of kindness, based on which way my bracelet is sitting, which holds me accountable.
Do you have a final message that you want to share with people on the importance of kindness?
If there is one message that I could put on a billboard and share with people is the idea that, making the world a better place doesn't have to be this massive thing, where you dedicate a year of your life to go somewhere and rescue a village of people.
A lot of times it's about creating small ripples of impact on a regular basis. Make it a habit and watch your mindset change. Watch the way that it changes your psychology and the people around you. Just one act of kindness can instantly change your life.
I hope John Wang's message has showed you how kindness will change your life and the world.
If you want to purchase one of John's kindness bracelets, CLICK HERE to check out his website!
What act of kindness will you commit to doing today? I inspire you to integrate kindness into your morning ritual. It has the power to change your life, the lives of others, and the world as a whole.
In the words of Leo Buscaglia, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
Are you ready to change your life and the world, one act of kindness at a time? CLICK HERE to learn more about the One Kindness Challenge!