This is Kindness Week throughout the country. Good Morning America shared a grass-roots campaign that was started in a woman’s backyard when her children were young. She created a non-profit, “Kids for Peace,” that has initiated the Great Kindness Challenge. This challenge asks schools and youth groups to perform many acts of kindness throughout the week. She hopes to create school environments where students thrive. She began with three schools and now there is twelve thousand participating.
I stopped to think about this and how it doesn’t seem to last beyond the week. That is because there is so much more social and emotional learning that needs to happen on a daily basis. If twelve thousand schools see the benefit of one week, why is this not an indicator that these lessons need to be ongoing throughout the year? And so Emotional Intelligence skills and behaviors that stimulate the emotional center of the brain, increases success by 80% and helps children to not just survive but thrive, need be happening in every home and school. If one week can make such a difference, let’s consider the outcome of daily practices. Below is the chart that was shared on GMA, I selected seven of challenges that represent the seven attributes of Emotional Intelligence.
Our seven attributes of Emotional Intelligence represent all the challenges for Kindness Week. Imagine us practicing this 52 weeks a year! What a different community, country and world we would have.
The Seven Attributes of Emotional Intelligence and This Week’s Challenges
- Empathy (Compliment 5 People)
- Self-Confidence and Motivation (Tell a Joke and make someone laugh)
- Delay Gratification/ Put someone else’s needs before your own (Step up for someone in need)
- Manage Our Emotions/ Self-Soothe (Be kind to yourself and eat a healthy snack)
- Be Accountable/ Be able to clear the mind with honesty (Help someone up if they fall down especially if you were responsible.)
- Sustain hope, dreams and goals through friendship (Invite a new friend to play/hang out with you.
- Persist in the Face of Frustration through Appreciation and Gratitude (Slip a nice note in your friend’s backpack.