Goal Action Ideas for Cultivating Kindness

Cultivating kindness is not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of someone setting and achieving goals, is it? Things like finance or wellness are the more obvious choices for goal setters. But this isn't your average goal-setting community, and the women here (you!) care a whole lot about moving with intention and kindness throughout their days.

If you’ve been in the Cultivate family for awhile, you know that the heart behind everything we do is to equip and encourage you to cultivate what matters in your life. We also know that when it comes to setting goals that work for your lifestyle, everyone is different, and sometimes you need a little inspiration when it comes to filling out your monthly PowerSheets® Tending List.

Over the years, we've shared action step ideas for many different types of goals, but never for kindness goals. If cultivating kindness, or adding more intentional kindness to your life, is a goal you're working on, here are some of our favorite monthly, weekly, and daily suggestions to add to your PowerSheets® Tending List! Remember, these are simply suggestions to help get your wheels turning - we welcome any additional suggestions in the comments!

Monthly Kindness Action Step Ideas:

• Identify a loved one's love language
• Prep to mark a loved one's upcoming milestone in an intentional way
• Print photos from a recent event or get-together and send them to a friend or family member
• Invite a family or acquaintance over for dinner (bonus points if they're different from you in some way, or could use a little extra care)
• Bring a meal to a family with a new baby, someone who is suffering or healing, or a friend who could just use a pick-me-up
• Send a handwritten note to a friend
• Give blood
• Mail a selection of your child's artwork to a parent or grandparent
• Send a care package to a college student, a new mom, or a friend who recently moved
• Make space for a deeper conversation with a friend
• Reach out to someone who seems lonely or disconnected
• Volunteer in your community
• Offer items you no longer need to your community's Buy Nothing group
• Donate to a coat, food, or toy drive
• Donate to a food pantry
• Teach your kids about an aspect of being a good friend
• Organize a meal train for a friend in need
• Bring a treat to your child's teacher, emergency personnel,  or another service provider
• Offer to babysit or spend time with a friend or loved one's children

Weekly Kindness Action Step Ideas:

• Offer words of affirmation to a loved one
• Pay for the person behind you in line
• Call or FaceTime a parent, grandparent, or loved one who might be lonely
• Volunteer in your community
• Encourage a coworker by sharing something he has done really well, or how she brings delight to your time at work
• Celebrate a friend's win

Daily Kindness Action Step Ideas:

• Compliment someone
• Text a loved one to check in or offer encouragement
• Smile at someone
• Leave an encouraging or thoughtful note on someone's social media or blog post
• Go for a walk and stop to chat with neighbors
• Express gratitude, especially for someone that usually goes unnoticed 

What would you add? We'd love to hear!

P.S. 6 Ways to Grow Friendships as an Adult and How to Write a Thoughtful Note to Someone You Love