It seems violence and negativity are at every turn these days. The headlines shout bad news, social media amplifies outrage, and if we turn on the TV… well, let’s just say the “breaking news” ticker is rarely breaking anything uplifting. (Which, by the way, might not be the healthiest daily habit for your mind and heart.)

So, what’s a person to do when it feels like the world is serving up an endless buffet of stress and disempowerment?

We can choose to serve something else.

One of the simplest, most powerful antidotes to all this noise is to deliberately add kindness into the world. Not just the occasional “when it happens to cross my path” kind of kindness, but an intentional, daily act of generosity toward another human being. Imagine the ripple effect if each of us committed to just one act of kindness every single day.

And here’s the beautiful part: it doesn’t have to cost you money, take hours of your time, or be some grand social-media-worthy gesture. Kindness done quietly is just as powerful — maybe even more so — because it’s offered from a genuine place of love, not for applause.

Need a jumpstart? Here are a few small-but-mighty ways to brighten someone’s day:

1. Hold the door open for someone. Once considered simple manners, these small gestures now stand out as moments of courtesy that make people feel seen.
2. Help a neighbor with a task they dislike. If you have a riding mower and your neighbor dreads mowing, why not take an extra 30 minutes to do theirs?
3. Offer a sincere compliment. “You have such a great smile,” “I’m so glad you’re in my life,” or “You handled that situation really well” — words are free, but they can feed a person’s spirit for days.
4. Give grace in traffic. Let someone merge ahead of you. Everyone’s trying to get somewhere, and small moments of patience can turn someone’s day around.
5. Send real mail. A handwritten thank-you note or “thinking of you” card stands out like a ray of sunshine in a pile of bills and junk mail.
6. Offer your place in line. Whether it’s the grocery store or the coffee shop, letting the person with one item (or the overwhelmed mom with a full cart and fidgety kids) go ahead of you can be a real gift.
7. Surprise someone in the drive-thru. Pay for the order of the car behind you. It’s quick, easy, and guaranteed to spark a smile.
   

Kindness has a compounding effect. The person you touch with your thoughtfulness might pass that same energy forward to someone else — and before you know it, you’ve helped create a chain reaction of goodness.

The truth is, we can’t control the world’s headlines, but we can control the headlines we write with our own actions each day. And when you choose to make kindness part of your daily routine, you’re not just helping others — you’re protecting your own heart from the weight of negativity.

So, tomorrow morning when you wake up, ask yourself one question: “What will my act of kindness be today?” Then go make it happen.

Link to Morter March Monday Rebroadcast: