Week 4 #KindnessAdventCalendar Round-up

Wow, this month has just flown by - can't really believe it's going to be Christmas Day already tomorrow! And like a giddy little child, I cannot WAIT!

December always feels a little 'magical' (though perhaps sometimes I might mean manic) but this year it's felt that little more magical with this Kindness Advent Calendar. It's the penultimate day of the challenge, so here's a quick recap of events.

Day 19: Be positive all day long, say only nice things to yourself and others
I would imagine that with most people, they would find it harder to say nice things to themselves, than it is to say nice things to others. Over the years, I have consciously and sub-consciously been working on my inner critic and negative self-talk - which has been as a result of the motivational/self-helpy type business books I read in my day-to-day work (as part of my job, I review manuscripts and give structural feedback to authors), and also through my aikido training, which I think has made me become more self-aware and mentally relaxed in my attitude towards things.

One of the hardest things I find is what to do when I'm in the presence of someone who is being negative - it's easy to be sucked in and become negative with them, and often times, this is what the other person wants (or so they think) - someone to have a moan and grumble with. And sometimes yes, I agree and try to emphasize with them, but other times I try to find some way to turn it around to make the conversation more positive again. Of course, there has to be a balance and sometimes you do need to just have a little wallow - but hey, just not for too long, eh?

Day 20: Take time to appreciate someone who does something you take for granted
Coincidentally, a few days before the challenge began, I came across a 'Thankful Diary' when out shopping and decided to buy it for myself. So as well as doing a Kindness act every day this month, I've been writing down three things I'm thankful for. And I've got to admit, it's been harder than I thought actually! Some days, it's really easy and other times I really struggle to think of something.

It is definitely, definitely worth doing though as it makes you pause and reflect on your day in a way that you probably wouldn't normally. Today was pretty easy though, as I just focussed all three on one person for today's kindness act - my mum :-)

Day 21: Write and leave a kind message for a loved one to find
I met up with Sam, one of my best friends this week - we don't see each other that much because we live about 5-6 hours away from each other. We've known each other forever and I've always seen her as my little sister (although in the Chinese world, we worked out that she is actually kind of my aunt - don't ask how we got to that conclusion because it hurts my head thinking about it!). I slipped this note inside her purse when she wasn't looking:

Sam then went on to find it a couple hours later when she got her purse out to pay for her lunch (should have put it in a more secret compartment!), but it was lovely to see her reaction!

Day 22: Cheer someone up
This act was labelled as cheering up a lonely neighbour or relative. I must admit that I kind of forgot about this during most of the day, because I was out doing some last-minute Christmas shopping with my parents. Then later on during the day, I was queuing up in a super busy shop (one where there are loads of cashiers in a line). It was REALLY busy and most of the cashiers looked pretty wiped and fed up. As I approached my cashier, I decided to try and cheer her up - just by the simple act of some happy small talk. Which is something I NEVER do, because to be honest, I've always found small-talk to be a bit pointless - I've got to admit that if someone starts small-talking with me, my instinct is to Shut It Down.

However, I started by complimenting her Christmas jumper (it was sincere, I swear!) and she immediately seemed to swell with pride. We continued on, chit-chatting away about Christmas presents and last-minute shopping, and as she handed over my packed shopping, she gave a bright smile and said 'Merry Christmas!' So hopefully that means I cheered her up a little! Maybe this small-talk thing isn't such a bad thing, eh?

Day 23: Buy a lottery ticket and give it to a friend, loved one or stranger
A couple of tickets bought for my sister and her husband - and I think they won about £10 actually! (I told them to check because I'm a bit fuzzy on the rules...)

Day 24: Put your loose change in a charity box
I changed this one because I wasn't due to go out anywhere today. Venture out to the shops the day before Christmas? Are you mad? But I had gone Christmas food shopping with my mum yesterday. My sister had a list, I had a list and my mum had a list, which we combined into one massive list. I wanted to offer some money towards it, but based on past experience, one of the two things always happens - she flatly refuses, or she ends up giving back some of the money I give her.

So I took a different approach and instead slipped this into a secret compartment of her purse:

I do hope she finds it someday ;-)

And that brings us to the end, sort of! Although the 'last' day of the challenge is tomorrow, it's definitely something I want to actively keep going - and I'm sure alot of the 300,000 people who also downloaded the calendar will be thinking the same thing. Some may have been cynical of this whole challenge, saying 'oh it's sad to think that we need reminders to be kind' - but it's not really been about that (not for me at least anyway). It's been great fun to be a part of something bigger, knowing that other people have been trying to spread a bit more kindness around the UK (and maybe even around the world too!)

So with that, I'd like to wish you a very happy day tomorrow, whatever you plan to do, and hope that you have many happy days to enjoy in 2017!