I was in a department store this morning and overheard the cashier say to the security guard, “Well, I hope you feel better soon.” The security guard replied, “Honestly, I think I just need a cup of coffee. I thought there would be coffee in the staff break room, but there’s nothing.”
I sure know how that feels. A long day ahead of me and NO COFFEE?? That’s a major bummer.
I forgot about this conversation and left the store. As I walked back to my car, I passed a coffee shop. A thought popped into my head, “Go buy that guy a cup of coffee.” My first response was, “That’s a great idea!” Seconds later, the thought started to get hijacked. “Is that a weird thing to do? What if he thinks I spiked it? In the post-COVID era, what if he just throws it away because he thinks I have germs? Wait, do I have germs?”
I had to tell myself to stop imagining the worse-case scenario, to stop overthinking and over-worrying. I bought the coffee and brought it to the security guard. He was touched by the gesture, and we had a nice chat.
Afterwards I thought, "Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have more goodwill in the world? What if gestures of goodwill had a ripple effect?" It would certainly see us more on the human to human level, rather than our differences. Coming back to humanity vs. creating more divide.
So, here goes my idea— a Goodwill Challenge for the month of March!
Game Rules:
Do a gesture of goodwill each day for the month of March.
The gesture needs to be for someone that you don’t know and a person different from you: ie., ethnicity, age, job, identity, etc.
It can be a warm greeting, lending a hand, a small gift, etc.
Keep it simple. Be creative. Make eye contact with the recipient.
Expect nothing in return. Expectations can lead to disappointment. Instead, set the intention for goodwill and then let it go.
Tell others about the challenge!
Let me know how it goes!
Be well,
Tammy