Message from Octavia

Every now and then, something happens to remind us of the power of kindness and the pleasure the act of being kind brings to our life. I invite you today to explore the world of kindness through the heart of Guest Blogger Kim. It's the first guest post I host on my site in the hope that many more will follow.

Guest Blog:

I choose KINDNESS

by @heykim

I am baffled by the sheer number of people who are willing to read my posts, tweets , or fb comments. I try to understand what could POSSIBLY draw people to my words. Possibly what draws them to ME, is what draws ME to so SO many of the people I FOLLOW . I have come to ONE conclusion, and that is I CHOOSE KINDNESS.

Many people give opinions , I have given MY share of those. Many people give out INFORMATION, and I have done my share of that as well. It boils down to pretty much ONE thing, and that is, that I CHOOSE kindness. I CHOOSE to FOLLOW people who are KIND, and I have been SO fortunate to have SUCH a kind, giving , supportive group that I follow on twitter. Heaven knows that there are enough people in the world who AREN'T kind, that it seems crazy to SEEK OUT people, or tweeps, who AREN'T kind.

On twitter, as in LIFE, we CHOOSE who we associate with. While it can be fun to associate from time to time with the ” BAD BOYS” or girls, it is FAR more uplifting to surround myself with people who go OUT OF THEIR WAY to be nice.. to be helpful, to be comforting , to be supportive.. to be KIND.

A recent tweet by one of my twitbuds mentioned how she made some elderly persons DAY by a smile… a simple act of kindness. It touched me, because although I love to have people do kind things for ME, I find, that I get MUCH more satisfaction from BEING the person who DOES the kind things. Not big things of course,.. I leave THAT to the people who can do such things, but I like to do the LITTLE things: I like to smile at the person who I see frowning, and maybe, find SOMETHING about them that I can HONESTLY complement. “beautiful blouse you have on ” or” I LOVE that ring , ITS GORGEOUS” .. “your baby is adorable ” “you have a beautiful smile, ” or eyes.. or hair.. Open doors for people, offer to help them with directions if they appear lost, offer a cellphone to someone broke down on the road, you know.. LITTLE things.

My DAY is sometimes made by that elderly woman who brightens up immediately and says “THANK you”.. or “My husband bought me that ring .. he recently passed away. ” or “it was my mothers” I love that it sometimes brings out a story that they might never shared if I hadn't taken a second to say something FIRST. Things like that just melt my heart… and its nice that we BOTH can walk away with a smile. I like to surprise people with a gift… when its NOT a holiday.. NOT a birthday… NOT an anniversary. Catch them off guard, and show them that you care how they feel ALL the time, not just when Hallmark says you should :)

I like to help new people when they start a new position, give them pointers to make THEM successful, let them know what mistakes I might have made, so THEY don't make the same ones, because that makes EVERYONE more successful. Little things. Little acts of KINDNESS. NOT necessarily RANDOM acts of kindness, sometimes FOCUSED and planned acts are just as good :)

So, how does that translate into my time on twitter? Well, the same acts of kindness work THERE as well.

Say hello to someone who only has two followers, or says “IM NEW!” HELP that newbie. Give them a tip or two. Show them how hash tags work, or what followfriday is or what a RT is.

SHARE knowledge. If I find something I think is INTERESTING, or IMPORTANT to me, I want to SHARE it. Is there a BREAKING news story that could affect people you follow? Let them know! Did I hear about a new gadget, movie, song, a new PERSON who is wonderful that I just found and followed.

SHARE friends. Do you see two tweeps who are similar in interests? INTRODUCE them. Don't have the expertise to help a friend? Ask your friends if THEY can help.

SHARE SUCCESSES and failures: Did someone win a game, lose a game? Give them a HIGH FIVE or a GET em next time!

HELP friends get out THEIR messages. Do they have a new SONG? a new BOOK, a link that is important to them? Did they get an award, or promotion? Do they have a business you can give a little shout out for ? Do they have an interesting blog ? SHARE it.. RETWEET it for them, without them even asking.

People are BUSY, they dont always have the time to gather info ... sure, they could google something, or ask someone to look up something, but if I can do it, I look for that info and pass it on. Has someone you follow lost a job? Ask them what you can tweet that might help them find one.

HELP strangers. Is there someone you see that is tweeting about someone MISSING ? RT it. Do what you would want if YOUR loved one was missing.

HELP friends or strangers who have had a devastating injury or illness. Can't DONATE or only have a small amount to give? You CAN RETWEET about it, or make up your OWN tweet. Tell OTHERS, you will be surprised how many people CAN and WILL help.

There are so many chances to CHOOSE KINDNESS. Send a tweet of condolence to the person who randomly tweets how sad they are at the loss of a loved one. The fact that they MENTIONED it usually means they are reaching out for a kind hearted word.

BIRTHDAYS… everyone LOVES to be wished a HAPPY one. You dont have to know them , or even tweet them alot. ITS THEIR BIRTHDAY! CELEBRATE with a tweet ! :)

CAUSES. Is there a CAUSE you believe in? TWEET about it. Once again, even if YOU can't donate, many times OTHERS will do so. You can't tweet EVERY cause, but if you have a passion for it, LET people know! Kind people help in so many ways every day.

There is POWER in the LITTLE acts of KINDNESS by MANY people. I have seen what THE POWER OF TWITTER can do.

Genuine kindness is something people seek out. Not every tweet will help, or uplift , but I try NOT to tweet things that will HURT.

I CHOOSE to follow people on twitter who are giving and helpful, funny, and smart, talented and artistic, brave and inspirational and ALL share gifts.

When given a choice, I choose KINDNESS.

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About The Author: Kim is from NW USA. Follow her on Twitter @heykim