Today is World Kindness Day. Given that my purpose is to ‘Be kinder and help others to be kinder too’ it feels like it’s a proper celebration day for me. In fact, even as I write this, I have a tingle of excitement as I think about the difference that could be made if anybody was just a fraction kinder to themselves and to each other.

To start the day off I shared some quotes via twitter. And so I thought I’d share them here as well.

Always try to be a little kinder than is necessary - J. M. Barrie

I like this because it uses kindness as a scale rather than as a binary setting.

Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see - Mark Twain

I like this because, to me, it means that kindness is accessible to all, and can be felt by all.

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. - Og Mandino

Even if this could only be sustained for one day, what a wonderful day that would be.

In a world where you can be anything, be kind

Probably my favourite thought. For a while I had this written in the front of my notebook. I love the idea that we can choose what or how to be. And that kindness can be that choice. And is never a bad choice. (I don’t know who originally coined the phrase, so no attribution. Sorry!)

So, today, on World Kindness Day, can you choose to be a little kinder to those around you? I’m going to give it my best shot.