Are You Being Contagious (with Kindness)?
"The biggest lesson I've learned is that hurt people hurt people, and kindness is just as contagious. So, if you can focus your efforts on engineering kindness, it will prevail."
- Whitney Wolfe Herd
During our current times, each of us has a heightened awareness of being contagious and possibly passing on or receiving a virus from someone else.
However, it came into my awareness that “being contagious” is not always a bad thing.
Let me explain.
One of the things I am most proud of in my martial arts career is the process by which each of the students in our organization must undergo to earn their Black Belts.
In addition to 3 to 3.5 five years of dedicated training, in the final four (4) months leading up to their Black Belt Test, students must move through some very intense training.
For instance, each student must perform a myriad of physical requirements, which includes logging 4,000 push-ups and 4,000 abdominal crunches, sparring 120 rounds and running 40 miles.
However, this is not what I am most proud of.
In addition to the physical requirements, each Black Belt Candidate must also complete a number of personal development requirements including, but not limited to the following:
- Mentoring someone for 10 sessions
- Eating "clean" for an entire week - refraining from sugar, processed foods and alcohol (getting the 10-year-olds off beer is a challenge, but we make it happen :))
- Spending a day in empathy - either in a wheelchair, blind or deaf mute (more on this in a future blog)
- And finally performing 400 random acts of kindness.
I recently saw a beautiful video on Facebook entitled Why We Do Acts of Kindness . It reminded me of the power of kindness and something one of my favorite authors, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer shared in his great book, The Power of Intention.
It goes something like this:
"Serotonin is the drug that makes you feel good. It’s what all the pharmaceutical companies pump into those wonderful little anti-depressants. It’s also a little drug God decided to pump through our brains when we do things he/she/it likes. It’s kinda like a little reward for good behavior, ya know? Anyway, get this: When you do something kind for someone else, the person you’re helping has serotonin released in her brain—she feels happier. And so do you. Good news! Two more serotonin-induced happier people in the world! Woo hoo! But the most incredible thing is this: not only do you and the person you helped feel better, so does some random person who happened to watch your act of kindness." (Excerpt from Brian Johnson's Philosopher's Note on The Power of Intention - www.Optimize.me)
In other words, Kindness is Contagious!!!!!!
As we move through our week, I challenge all of us to be mindful of opportunities to show kindness.
As I share with my young students who oftentimes are overwhelmed by the task of performing their 400 AOK's, take the time to focus on the following three things.
1) Set an Intention - You will be surprised by the number of opportunities to show kindness that present themselves just by setting the intention to find them.
2) Slow Down - Slow your pace through life so you can notice the opportunities to show kindness that present themselves. And...........
3) Be Courageous - Have the courage to step forth and ask those who may need help how you may serve them. Also be courageous enough to ask for help when you need it.
We may never know how one act of kindness can positively impact the life of another. We most likely will never know how the trajectory of someone else's life may be changed for the better, just because of a simple act of caring.
So, get out and be contagious this week. Give it a try. If nothing else, you (and those in in your near field) will get a welcome dose of Serotonin.
Chris Natzke
Black Belt Leadership Speaking & Coaching
PS: If you have finally decided to get moving and experience a BREAKTHROUGH in your life, check out my new program, the Mind of a Champion Breakthroughs Mini-Course.