Rest, Reflect, and Step into the New Year
- LJW
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
After listening to discouraging newscasts I wonder, what can I do? When my internal focus is fixed on worry and frustration, I can easily become curt or distracted with the delivery driver or the grocery store clerk. It isn’t about them, it’s the worry and fear I’ve been ruminating on rising to the surface and spilling over onto those around me. I may not even realize how it’s brushing off into the world.
As the end of 2025 approaches, we all feel the effects of a year full of change, whether in the world or in our own personal lives. Sometimes life gets really hard. Right now, I invite you to pause, rest, reflect, and let the most meaningful moments rise gently to the surface.
Let the moments of kindness, generosity, compassion, concern for others without any expectation of praise or reward come to mind. What moments have you received? Which have you shared? These memories give us hope and renew our desire to treat one another better. Giving or receiving kind words can lift your mood and help you feel connected and valued. Kindness encourages more kindness, creating a loop within you and around you that supports better mental and physical health.
Something wonderful happens when your attention shifts from your own worries to uplifting interactions with others. Anxiety softens. Stress lightens. Feelings of loneliness or discouragement ease. Even your body responds by releasing the “feel-good” hormones dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, which support mood, satisfaction, and an overall sense of well-being.
I recently stumbled across a group called the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Their goal is to make kindness the norm. Here’s a short video from their site that may inspire you as you go about your day:
Professor Dacher Keltner reminds us: Small gestures of compassion and kindness make you feel more satisfied and content on an everyday level. As you practice kindness, it shifts your nervous system and you become healthier. When you cultivate compassion and kindness, you cultivate the emotions that make up a meaningful life.
USA Today shared a story about a
Starbucks drive-thru in Florida where a single act of kindness sparked an 11-hour chain of paying it forward. One person paid for the drink of the customer behind her and left without waiting for recognition. She never knew that her quiet act of generosity rippled through the next 378 people! We may never know the impact of our own small acts of kindness, but I can guarantee you this, they create ripples.
It’s Nothing New
Anne Herbert wrote Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty in 1993, sharing true stories of kindness long before “pay it forward” became a common phrase. Kindness is not new. But today, we need it more than ever, in the world and in our own lives.
One memory that always rises to the surface for me is from when my son was small and attending a private daycare. That month, after car trouble and other expenses, I simply couldn’t pay the bill. I met with the owner, who listened with compassion and then told me she would waive the entire month-no repayment later, no installment plan, just a fresh start. Her only request was that I pay it forward someday when I was able. That single act of kindness changed how I treat others for the rest of my life.
There are countless stories like this, moments where kindness shifted someone’s day, or even their direction in life. We may hear the opposite on the news, but kindness exists. It could begin with you. Someone in your world right now could benefit from a single thoughtful act. Our small friendly gestures may start a ripple of kindness we’ll never see, but it will carry on.
As the year concludes, this is also an invitation to be kind to yourself. Rest is an act of kindness. Reflection is an act of kindness. Stillness is an act of kindness. The ripple effect begins not only with what we do for others, but with how gently we treat our own hearts.
Change the World
Do you believe your acts of kindness could change the world? I do. Today, and every day, be alert to ways-large or small-to spread kindness.
Let’s move into the new year with clarity instead of exhaustion, intention instead of urgency, and natural, abundant kindness.
Let’s change our world one small act at a time.
Courage Daily Life Coaching may be just what you need as you step into a new year. Contact Linda to set up a complimentary 30 minute mini session to get started. Let's make this year the best yet!
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