What is The Kindness Challenge?
Inspired by author Shaunti Feldhahn, the The 30-Day Kindness Challenge prompts those who take it on to focus their attention on a specific person – a spouse, coworker, friend or family member. Then, for 30 days, the challenge is to say nothing negative about that person to them or to others, to give them at least one kind word each day, and to do one daily act of kindness towards them.
The basis of The 30-Day Kindness Challenge is the idea that deliberate acts of kindness can significantly improve a relationship. The challenge can help to strengthen a connection that is suffering or weak, or to build on an already well-established relationship.
We can all use a little bit of extra kindness and positivity in our lives. The best way to change your life and environment for the better is tobethe change that you want to see!
If you want to see a kinder, more caring world, be the initiator that makes that change happen. Making a big difference can start with something that seems incredibly small. You can change the course of a person’s life forever by deliberately focusing your energy on being kind to them.
Choosing a Person Who Needs Some Extra Kindness in Their Life
The 30-Day Kindness Challenge gives you a unique opportunity to single out a specific person in your life who needs some extra love and kindness. It’s all too easy to forget to be intentional in relationships, whether they be with friends, family, coworkers or neighbors. Every interaction that you have with the people in your life is an opportunity to have a positive impact.
When you get started with The 30-Day Kindness Challenge, the trickiest decision you need to make is who will be the focus of your month of kindness. When you are deciding who you want to focus your attention on for the month, think about who in your life needs some extra love right now.
It may be your spouse, or a close friend who is going through something difficult, or a coworker or acquaintance that you want to get closer with. Focusing your attention on a specific person for 30 days gives you a unique opportunity to connect in a big way.
What Are Some Quick, Simple Ways to Increase the Kindness You Spread?
Some of the most meaningful gestures and acts of kindness are the simplest ones. It only takes a few seconds to dramatically change someone’s day, week, or even their life. It’s all about being intentional and taking every possible opportunity to be kind.
The focus of The 30 Day Kindness Challenge is largely on making use of what writer Gary Chapman calls “The Five Love Languages.” According to Chapman,the main ways that humans give and receive love are through words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gifts, and physical touch.
Each of these five ways of giving and receiving love can be meaningful to everyone. However, every person also appreciates certain types of acts of love and kindness more than others.
For example, you might be someone who feels more loved when you receive physical affection from someone you are close to than if you receive a gift. Everyone is different, and knowing how to best show kindness to a specific person when taking on The 30 Day Kindness Challenge has a lot to do with understanding their primary “love languages.”
Think about the person you have chosen as the focus for your month of kindness. Does this person love hugs? What about complements? Maybe they prefer simply spending a few hours each day with you just sharing quality time. Perhaps they are more geared towards gifts and acts of service.
Depending on your person’s primary love languages, you can approach The 30 Day Kindness Challenge in a way that will make it even more impactful to the specific person you are focusing on.
You Don’t Need to Stop The Kindness Challenge After 30 Days!
Remember, after your 30 days are over, you don’t need to stop being kind and intentional to someone on a daily basis! A great way to make use of The 30 Day Kindness Challenge is to focus on a specific person in your life each month. After you have directed specific acts of kindness towards one person for 30 days, move on to another person in your life.
The 30 Day Kindness Challenge can be a huge help in prompting you to form positive relational habits. If you find yourself frequently struggling with feeling bitter, angry, discontented or disconnected from others (especially after a year like this), being intentional about the love you give can make your heart bigger and increase your built-up patience and gentleness towards others.
You Don’t Need Tons of Extra Money to Spread Love.
The majority of the time, all it takes to make a person’s day special is a quick, simple act of kindness, and that’s what The 30 Day Kindness Challenge is all about! You don’t need to break your bank to spread love to those around you – instead, use what you do have to make a big difference.
At Nunbelievable, we know firsthand how meaningful sharing with others can be. Our mission as a company is to fight to end hunger, one delicious cookie at a time.
With each cookie that we sell, we donate a meal to feed the hungry. We’re striving each day to make the world a kinder place where our neighbors don’t need to wonder where their next meal will come from. As you embark on The 30 Day Kindness Challenge, we’d love for you to team up with us in our efforts!
As you prepare specific acts of kindness to put into practice for the next 30 days, a great idea to try is sharing some delicious cookies! Our cookies are second to nun, and they can help you spread some joy in more ways than one.
By choosing to share Nunbelievable cookies as part of your 30 Day Kindness Challenge, you are sharing love with more than just the recipients of the yummy treats you share. Each of those cookies equates to one meal donated to the hungry. A cookie shared can go a long, long way in making the world a better place!
You Can Make a Difference With Your Words, Quality Time and Other Simple Gestures
No matter who you decide to focus on for your month of kindness, there are plenty of meaningful ways to have a positive impact that only take a few moments to put into action. Some of the most meaningful acts of kindness that you can share with others come in the form of words. The 30-Day Kindness Challenge places a big emphasis on the power of words, both in how they can hurt and how they can build up. The challenge is all about only saying and doing things in your relationships that have a positive impact, rather than a negative one.
Words of affirmation can make a person’s entire day. You’ve probably experienced the life-changing power of kind words more than a few times in your life. Whether they were from a parent, a teacher, a friend or even a stranger, someone’s kind words can change the course of your life for the better and lift you up when you are feeling down.
Our bad habits in close relationships can have a major negative impact on our own wellbeing, as well as on the health and happiness of the people we love. It is always worth the extra effort to be gentle and kind to everyone, even when you don’t feel like it. The 30-Day Kindness Challenge gives you a chance to take a close look at the way you communicate with others and to make positive changes where they are needed.
We at Nunbelievable love The 30 Day Kindness Challenge, and we firmly believe that it is a powerful tool for prompting personal change, as well as positive changes in the lives of others. As you embark on your first month of intentional acts of kindness, consider making some Nunbelievable cookies part of your plan!
We love spreading love, joy and kindness by baking incredible cookies, and we know that the nuns would want us to share them – so share them we do! Otherwise, we’d all be over here chowing down on thousands of cookies. We thought there might be a better way to make use of the incredible recipes shared with us by the wise nuns, so we’re on a mission to fight hunger by sharing cookies with you. Join up with us by taking part in The 30 Day Kindness Challenge, and sharing your Nunbelievable cookies with people you love!
Sources:
https://www.jointhekindnesschallenge.com
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00768.x
