After forming this little blog o' mine last year, I discovered a slew of other sites in the blogosphere dedicated to niceness. Awesome! So I wasn't the only one! Well, one of those lovely people, Sami, from Life, Laughs & Lemmings sent me an email about participating in a nice-blogging-supergroup. How could I say no??
She was calling the group RAOKA, or Random Acts of Kick Arse. Heck yes. Here's the premise. By joining forces around a particular theme each month, we'll be performing positive acts and sharing them with you all, our readers. You can see how we each interpreted the theme and even play along if you're so inclined! Actually, I hope you'll help me out by coming up with creative ways to demonstrate each theme.
The Players
Lance from Jungle of Life
Lori from Jane Be Nimble
Dani from Positively Present
Brandi from Joy Rebel
Sami from Life, Laughs & Lemmings
The Project
The theme for this month is KINDNESS. A good way to ease into this project. So what does this mean? Maybe I should leave nice notes around town? Maybe I should send out cards to loved ones? Maybe I should volunteer my time? I'm embarking on a month-long kindness journey. What do you suggest I do?
I'd like to take your suggestions in the comments on this post and create a 10 item to-do list that I need to get through. And as I make my way through the list, I'll document my experiences and share them with you on the big culmination day, November 4th, when we all post about our month of kindness. And maybe if you're up for it, you can work through the list yourself!
So c'mon, help me kick some arse!
Hi, I'm Melissa! Welcome to my blog! I believe that kindness can change the world, so it's my mission to spread the concept of being nice, as simple as that may sound. I hope you'll have a look around!
Do you have a NICE story you'd like to share? Maybe one you've stumbled upon or something that has affected you personally? If so, 
Here's a list of NICE folks who have mentioned Operation NICE on their site or supported us by using our badge. Thank you so much!
20 comments:
Great RAOKA post! :) I love the logo you created for it. Awesome!
Hey Melissa, it's awesome to have you involved in this. Totally dig the graphic too - LOVE it!
Thanks ladies! Feel free to use it if you'd like to! I figured I needed a little something to decorate my RAOKA posts. :)
Hi Melissa,
Well, it's so NICE to be here! And what a lovely post (and I love that graphic too!!!).
So - my suggestion: find a way to anonymously be kind...or kindness where it's not known who did it (like the notes around town, or an extra quarter in the vending machine, or ??) - in fact, I'm liking this idea as I type it!!
And I agree, what a super group of people, and really everyone who does something just a little kinder this month because of this is super in my book!
I agree, that logo is awesome!
I read a blog about a woman who left envelopes with notes and a small bit of money--like a dollar and change--with instructions to use the money for something and let her know what they did with it--did I get that link on here? Anyway, that's a cool idea. I also like Operation Beautiful.
The thing about KINDness is that it somehow implies more than just being NICE... it's about being helpful and considerate and seeing a need and filling it. For example, buying a coffee for your coworker when you stop at the coffee place, just because you want to do a good deed, is nice; doing it because you know she just got hit with a big bill and can't afford it is kind.
That said, some ideas: next time you go grocery shopping, cut coupons and put them on items that you're not buying, so the next person who does will have a coupon; if you're friendly with a cashier at a food place, give them $5 or $10 and tell them to use it to treat the next person in line who they think could use a treat or a smile; volunteer someplace you normally wouldn't and be kind to the people you help; if you know someone trying to lose weight, offer to go on a walk with them, eat a super-healthy lunch with them, write them a note about how well they're doing; offer to babysit for a single mom for a few hours; make a meal for a new mom or someone who's "laid up" for some reason; bring flowers to the office of someone who's usually not thanked, like s nursing home's employees, or a friendly post office or copy shop, etc. Okay, I think that's all for now! :)
Cameron, that sounds like Secret Agent L. I keep thinking about her missions and how they would make great kindness activities for my month.
I think I'm going to start the list off with "buy coffee for a stranger." I always hear stories about people doing it, and sometimes I consider it, but I always chicken out for some odd reason.
I love your ideas! I could be a coupon fairy for a day. And I think giving flowers to an under-appreciated service employee is a great idea! You know, I think I'd like to do it for my mail-person because I've been getting a lot of packages lately and making them walk to my door. Love it!!
Glad you like my ideas! And I forgot to mention it but I will be joining you on your kindness mission! :)
Hello. I just recently started following your blog/twitter and love it!
This post is right up my alley though so I thought I'd make a comment!
I'm actually teaching a class called "Tuesday" (based on the group "Tuesday" my penpal created.. see a link for the facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/notifications.php#/group.php?gid=51013797742 feel free to join!) to mentally ill adults at my work. The first lesson plan, which starts on the 13th is about Random Acts Of Kindness. I have an entire list of easy ones that don't require a lot of money since most of my members don't have much.
Some of them include:
-Pay one compliment a day
-Volunteer at an agency in need
-Tell someone why you love them
-Have a group of people (office, class, etc.) draw names out of a hat and pick a RAOK to do for that person that day/week.
-Pick up litter or organize a park clean-up
-Share your umbrella with someone who doesn't have one
-donate clothes to Good Will or another second hand store
-Send a card to someone in the military overseas
-Give a card to a friend for no reason.
What a Kick Arse idea this group is!
Cameron has some really great ideas, but I think you should also be sure to send cards to the people you love or appreciate. (Wouldn't that cashier who's always great with you get a kick out of receiving a card, telling her how much her kindness/great service/cheery smile means to you?)
P.S. The new Send Out Cards SOCBox makes card sending a snap. Contact me if you're interested.
Hello! Love the logo! :)
My friend and I put quotes on notecards and made them pretty. We then put them on random strangers cars! We hope people enjoyed them as much as we enjoyed making them.
We also plan on writing on some benches or things in a park. Just simple phrases.
I'll let you know what else we decide to do! I love spreading love! :)
Hi. Cool idea! I hesitate to leave a link as I don't want to appear spammy, but I did a post recently listing 50 random acts of kindness. http://bit.ly/1Qg7nC Could be helpful for this project...
I love the coupon idea!
I'm such a coupon cutter, and I always end up with ones I don't need.. I'm will certainly be doing this :)
Hi Melissa, my new partner in crime, er, I mean KIND!!!
This is so much fun, and I love the logo, too! Great to see you RAOKA-in' the world.
You go, girl! :)
Hi Melissa, my new partner in crime, er, I mean KIND!!!
This is so much fun, and I love the logo, too! Great to see you RAOKA-in' the world.
You go, girl! :)
I love this idea! For my part today, I donated a pint of blood at the local bloodmobile. My kindness will help save 4 lives.
this is fantastic! can't wait to see what you all do to spread kindness... :)
and i would love to be a part of something like this in the future!
xoxo,
lesley
Hi Melissa,
Absolutely great idea to spread kindness. I love Cameron idea.
Taking a lonely granny to lunch out and spending some fun filled times or playing and sharing choclates with the neighbourhood children I think can be added in the list of kindness. It will surely give immense happiness and peace.
Love Always.
For one of your to-do list, how about one for kindness to animals? I challenge you to be vegan for a day, and that means abstaining from eating any animal products, including milk, cheese, eggs, honey. Farmed animals live a horrendous life in factory farms and not consuming them is the greatest act of kindness you can do for them and for the planet.
Hello!
I've just set up my own UK based blog on this topic and was scouting around for similar minded people when I found you! :-)
What a lovely blog you have! Mine only got started an hour or two ago, and it's a lazy Sunday, so obviously still needs some work :-)
I wondered if we could chat, support each other and suchlike :-)
Here is my blog:
http://niceandkind.blogspot.com
I have just added you on my reader :-)
Hi Melissa,
With this flu season being particularly nastier than usual, I suggest placing those sanitizer hand wash packets in the germiest public places such as elevators, escalators, gas pumps, by the office microwave handle and coffee carafe, the exercise bike at the gym, by public phones, bask-carts at the local grocery store... I could go on and on but you get the point. We are sharing more surfaces than ever that are touched by many hands and are rarely cleaned. So this practice would not only be NICE, but should help cut down on the viruses going around.
With a smile ~ Tina Mansfield
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