A few weeks ago, I was having coffee with a friend, and she said to me, “I sure hope all these good deeds I am doing come back to me in good karma in the future.”
I was kind of puzzled by that comment because I think it’s important to be authentic when you do good deeds, not because you hope you will get something for doing them.
That is the essence of being authentic: Doing good because it’s the right thing to do.
Have you ever done that? You see someone who would benefit from your help, whether it is helping them unload their grocery cart at the checkout (because that giant bottle of water looks a bit too heavy for them to lift themselves), or giving some money or food to a homeless person. Have you helped a fellow businessperson connect with someone you know who could help them without getting anything out of it?
Have you had the chance to do a good deed lately? Or, were you in too much of a rush, working through your things to do or running errands?
I have found in this dog-eat-dog world, where everything seems to happen at warp speed, that there is even more satisfaction when you do something nice for someone with no expectation of recognition or reward.
It’s refreshing to think about others instead of yourself for a while.
So, when you are feeling stressed or rushed, why not take a deep breath, and do something good for someone else, even a complete stranger. You could be the person who makes their day a little bit better. And you may get that warm fuzzy feeling in your heart.
It’s called “kindness.” And I think we need a lot more of it this world.
Karen