Our Monthly Random Acts of Kindness Challenge (RAK-C) every third week

Good Karma ~ Note to Self~
"What is my purpose in life?" I asked the void.
"What if I told you that you fulfilled it when you took an extra hour to talk to a kid about his life?" said the voice.
"Or when you paid for that young couple in the restaurant? Or when you saved that dog in traffic? Or when you tied your father's shoes for him?"
"Your problem is that you equate your purpose with goal-based achievement. The Universe isn't interested in your achievements... just your heart. When you choose to act out of kindness, compassion and love, you are already aligned with your true purpose."
"No Need To Look Any Further!"
Author Unknown

As Lo pointed out on the message board, our Meetup name is "Random Acts of Kindness" but all of our events are scheduled...so what about something more random?....

I loved this idea and wanted it to happen!!

Thank you Lo for this great idea and Thank you Dave for your help and support towards getting our first RAK-C started in Feb 2011!!!

To address that, we are scheduling this "Random Acts of Kindness Challenge" to dedicate one week each month to practice random acts of kindness any times you want and be on the lookout during this period. This event has no meeting place, meeting time, and there's no limit on the "attendees". Anybody anywhere can participate, so if you can't make other events because of time, money, work, or whatever, this can still be something for you. To post the event it is required to pick time so, we just picked 12:15 PM and you can ignore that. Please note : The challenge is for the whole week. Also, check out the "RAKC FAQ 03_23_11" to answer any of your FAQ's in the Files section found under "More" tab.

The idea is to target a week each month as a reminder to be on the lookout for a chance to do something for someone, or even plan one yourself. When the event is posted, you can RSVP Yes and put it on your calendar as a reminder. Then, during the week, perform a random act of kindness for someone. Something as simple as a compliment can make someone's day so it isn't necessary to spend money. A note left in your mailbox, thanking your letter carrier could work! You may not even see the beneficiary at all but you know it can make a difference.

There are lots of ways you can "pay it forward," and I found plenty of ideas in these sites:

http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/Kindness-Ideas.html

http://www.helpothers.org/ideas.php

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/247610_top-70-random-acts-of-kindness-ideas

http://www.daretobeanangel.com/tasklist.php

http://www.abundancetapestry.com/a-random-act-of-kindness-15-ideas-to-kickstart-your-intention/

http://www.noogenesis.com/malama/kindness/Stories/ideas01.html

And also you can refer to past RAK-C event/s and find some ideas.

Couple more ideas from Dave :

1. You can just post few pictures of beauty around you or pics from your RAK's (maybe not more than 10 per member just to have enough pic space for all those interested) and

2. You can post your fav quote or anything that has meant a lot to you as inspiring words in the comment box.

Thank you Dave!!!

As challenge week rolls along, check back at the event listing from time to time. You'll be able to read what others have done when they "Rate the meetup" or discuss it on that page. Maybe you'll see that a member helped an elderly woman get the groceries in the car or dropped off canned food at a homeless shelter. And you can share what you chose to do for others to read about. Though not together, we can share the camaraderie of doing good wherever we are. If you choose to be anonymous, no need to post anything. But if you choose to post, there's no way you can be anonymous and of course we want to see your ideas and we love you getting the recognition and feeling this camaraderie is contagious!!!!

I would encourage you to use some care in how you approach people. In general, common sense and common courtesy go a long way. If you want to help people face-to-face, I would also say stick to public places; one-on-one in a parking lot, people may feel threatened. If asked, be clear that you expect nothing in return except the satisfaction of helping someone out.

We have some "business cards" that basically say "Thank you for letting me do this random act of kindness for you" and including the meetup web address so that people know it's not a scam or anything. (You can pick up those cards when you see us at meetups and use as you like. Or leave a simple stationery card of your own saying something similar with our meetup web address or choose not to leave any card at all.) And who knows, we may gain some members and/or you may inspire someone pay it forward too!

As always, it is a privilege to be associated with such a great group of people...thanks for all you do, and have a great week!

Thank you!

~ Mary