There is much to be said for showing kindness to our friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances and the people around us. This may sound all flowery and grandiose, yet it is very easy to demonstrate, as outlined in the following example.

A number of years ago, I had the pleasure of working with a lady who was one of the mail clerks in our department. On my usual morning "hello", I noticed that she had red eyes and appeared to be upset, although the reason for her demeanour was unknown at the time. I wondered what her response might be and thought that it would wise to gauge both her words and body language, before deciding whether to reach out to her.

The lady looked up at me, said "hello" in a soft, quavering voice and yet her eyes changed when she saw my smiling face. Rather than asking her a specific question, I stated my need for a morning coffee and asked if she would like to join me. To make a long story short, she agreed to my invitation and I ordered and paid for our coffee. I can still remember the way she looked at me, a small smile rose to her face as she thanked me profusely for something which is a small kindness that I utilise from time to time.

The conversation was short yet in speaking to her, I could sense that she just wanted to feel seen and acknowledged as a person, trying her best to soldier on, whilst dealing with some personal challenges. We had one or two more coffee discussions after that day, after which [point I lost contact with her, since she had decided to take a career break to work through some private matters.

One day a number of years later, I bumped into the same lady and was amazed with the marked physical transformation in the way she carried herself and her general demeanour. She indicated how she had been quite productive since our previous discussions, had consulted a psychologist for support with her personal matters, completed some additional studies and had recently returned to the workforce in a new and fulfilling role. It was at this time that she said words to the effort that my simple kindnesses had made a huge difference to her life and that she felt like a new person, confident and ready for the next chapter. I will never forget how happy I felt for her, privately sensing that she would one day 'pay it forward' to someone else, in a ripple effect that makes the world a better place.

In my opinion, it is the simple kindnesses that can make all the difference, since we can never fully understand what challenges others may be dealing with as too often, people may find it difficult to say that they just need someone to care about them. It is incredible how simple it is to make a positive impact to the people around you over a coffee discussion, a warm greeting or just by smiling as you look at them, which indicate to them that they matter as you acknowledge their existence.

Let's all consider the ways that we can help each other, as we continue in our journey towards inner fulfilment and happiness.

I would love to hear your stories about how simple kindnesses have made a difference to someone, so please feel free to share in the comments section.