Little Steps…
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I bet my bottom dollar that this title made you think this blog will be about taking small steps to get to where you want to be…am I right or am I right?! Well, it’s not! haha
For many, many, many years now I’ve been doing little Random Acts of Kindness (aka RAKS) here and there. I feel strongly about NOT consciously speaking out about these acts simply because I feel that if we consciously talk about them more often than not then we are probably doing them for the wrong reason…for recognition instead of the act of selfless kindness itself which is why I do it.
So, I am going against my own “code of silence” when it comes to this but, I have good intentions for why I am speaking up about it so…hear me out.
LOCATION: Brisbane CBD
Little Steps…when you or I choose to do or say something to serve another for the only purpose of kindness & joy. Yes, it can be a ‘Little Steps” eg giving someone a compliment, giving up your seat on the train or even taking the time to send a ‘positive feedback’ email to that coffee shop you had a great breakfast at! Or, it can be a “Big Steps” where you’d pay for a strangers fuel at the petrol station, embark on creating a law for something you’re passionate about or taking care off the school fees of a parent you know is struggling.
Although I don’t want to share all of the Little & Big Steps I’ve committed in the last 15 years or so, I will speak about a recent one in the HOPE that it will inspire you and others to do the same. Why?? Because even the tiniest “Little Steps” can create the biggest wave and in turn change someones day or even their life.
Focusing on the “Littlest of Steps” is important for me because not all of us are in a position that we can do something grand or expensive to be of service to others. I want to point out and focus on the point that kindness and joy can (if you want it to) be priceless! At times in our lives we may be able to act on the “Big Steps” and if that’s you, fantastic, DO it, I DARE YOU! ;) haha But, if “Small Steps” is all you can do at the moment I say the same, DO it, I DARE YOU!! Chances are, big or small it will be appreciated and create that ripple which will then turn into a wave in that persons lives and beyond.
If you’ve ever read ‘Our Story’ in echoez.com.au you’ll know that I feel strongly about what we echo out into the world and what we allow into our own ‘echo chambers’ that is our lives. This is why ‘serving others’ is important to me. Now, when I say service I don’t mean (at all!) killing and loosing yourself in the process of giving giving giving and in turn getting used and walked all over, NO! I simple mean, in a world of “me, me, me” I want to be “we, we, we”…do you understand?
We’ve lost connection along the way, we’ve kept our head down for far too long without realising that our neighbour needs us, the senior gentleman crossing the busy road needs us, our parents need us, the stranger on the train needs us, our partner needs us, the bird with a broken wing needs us…our children need us and, they need us to set a better example by DOING.
The “Little Steps” I’ve randomly left in places around Brisbane for someone to find cost me next to nothing and yet, my hope is that it was priceless to the person that picked it up needing the reminder of “Keep your head up, you’ve got this!” or “Every step forward is a step closer to where you want to be”.
What did I need for this you ask? A little of my time to think and hand write some kind words and some cards to write on (i used my Echoez cards), that’s it! Now, I added the little shoe key ring as I had a lot of these hanging around! Over the years I’ve done some “foot modelling” (key in all the foot fetish people lol) for one of my best friends Sylvia. Ria Menorca is the brand and you should definitely go check them out! ;) Not long ago I went to pick up some shoes from Sylvia and she gave me all these cute little Ria shoe key rings so, I decided to put them to good use! What better symbol to remind someone to keep moving forward than a shoe! Hence…Little Steps.
You know, we never ever ever EVER know what someone is going through, never! We sometimes do the silly thing of assuming we know buuutttttt we DON’T. You know what I’m talking about because you too have shown strength, a smile and bravery making people think you were killing it when in fact you were dying inside of fear or sadness or even hunger…I know you KNOW what I’m talking about. So, “Little & Big Steps” is for all of us, we all need it one time or another. The random act of kindness of a family member, friend or complete stranger that will reminder to keep on putting one foot in front of the other.
So please, do me a favour, actually no, do YOURSELF and next time you’re saying your prayers ask…”how can I serve others”. The answer you get will be your “Little or Big Steps”. Then once you act on it, simple bask in the knowledge that you are the creator of a smile and in turn, contributing to a world of “we we we”.
With Kindness,
