Did you know that you can create good karma just by doing something nice for someone?
Doing something nice for someone else is like lighting a campfire, everyone around you is warmed by your actions including yourself. In fact, if you’re depressed, feeling hopeless, or mourning a loss, many people (me included) believe the best way to feel better is to get involved in an activity that helps others.
It doesn’t have to be time consuming or complicated.
You might decide to feed the homeless, drop off magazines or cookies at a senior center, or spend time caring for animals at the shelter. It might be as simple as calling someone on the phone and letting them know you’re thinking about them. Doing something helpful has an almost magical way of helping you forget your own troubles, and gives you a feeling of purpose.
In addition to the little glow you feel when you help someone out, every good deed goes into your “Good Karma Piggy Bank.” It doesn’t even matter if anyone else is aware of your actions or appreciates them. The universe has a way of keeping track, and every kind act adds up like money in the bank. When you have a time in your life when you need positive loving energy, that good fortune comes back to you.
Planting Seeds of Kindness
I have a friend who’s the epitome of Good Karma. She is always practicing gratitude, can be counted on to come through when a friend needs help, and is great at listening and giving advice. Even though her friends come and go, and some people don’t appreciate her kindness and generosity, she never lets it get to her. She just keeps on being the kind, giving person she is.
She’s been like this as long as I’ve known her, but a few years back her life took a tumble. She was diagnosed with a very rare cancer that was considered to be virtually untreatable. Her doctors advised her to move to New York to see a specialist. The New York doctor had successfully treated others with the same illness, and she knew this was her only change of survival. She had no idea how she would be able to afford the treatment and care, and barely had the energy to think about packing her things and moving!
She was never the type to ask for anything, but a friend secretly created a go fund me page for her. Almost overnight, nearly a half million dollars was raised. All the people who had come and gone in her life rallied around her, advocated for her, and spread the word far and wide. It seemed as if every single person she had been kind to over the years told a few friends, and they told a few friends…
Even though she never expected this kind of result from her good deeds, her good karma prevailed. She was able to get the treatment she needed and survived. I wasn’t surprised at all! That’s how karma works!
Creating Good Karma is Easy
Sometimes life gets crazy, and you wonder how you’ll get through the day yourself, much less practice random acts of kindness. But you can be a consistent source of positive energy and good vibes if you remember these four simple techniques:
1) Forgive. Instead of holding a grudge, try to give other people the benefit of the doubt. You might be feeling wronged by someone who had no intention of hurting you. You don’t have to spend time with people who are unkind or thoughtless, but let go of the burden of resentment you’re carrying, and forgive them.
2) Express gratitude whenever you can. There’s plenty of gratitude to go around, so be thankful for everything that’s good in your life – the people who care about you, your pets, your job, the flowers in your backyard. The more conscious you are about practicing gratitude, the more good things you’ll attract.
3) Be mindful of your actions. Have you ever been in a hurry, and realized that you’d checked out of the grocery store, or left the bank without thanking, or even looking at, the person who helped you? When you slow down and pay attention, you’ll find many opportunities to practice kindness with a smile, a thank you, or a helping hand.
4) Be kind to yourself. How you feel inside reflects in how you treat other people, so be your own best friend! Tape positive affirmations to your bathroom mirror, and avoid being overly self-critical and negative. Encourage yourself and cut yourself slack when you need it – just like you would for a loved one.
Sincere kindness, gratitude and positivity are all simple ways to make the world a better place. Being a source of light feels good in the moment – and the good karma you earn has a way of showing up just when you need it most. I encourage you to get in the good karma habit, and practice forgiveness, gratitude, mindfulness, and acceptance every day!
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