In case you missed it, November 13 was World Kindness Day. It is a special time to remind everyone that being kind does not cost you a penny. In fact, when people perform an act of kindness, they not only benefit the person who receives it, but they themselves and everyone who sees it happen all feel better as a result.

Of course, you can, and should, be kind every day. Yet, people often underestimate the power of kindness. They believe that in this cruel world only pure self-interest will make a person successful. Therefore, is kindness a form of weakness?

The Kindness Extremist Shola Richards would say firmly that kindness is a strength. In a recent blog post, Shola shared the main thing that kind people contribute to the world.

Here’s something that kind people do, that the rest of the world does not:

They give a damn about issues that don’t affect them personally.

In our increasingly polarized world, this kind of expansive empathy has become not just uncommon, it’s damn near revolutionary. he shared the main difference that kind people have over others.

Why is this important? Shola starts by pointing out why selfish people offer very little to the world.

When we only care about issues that directly affect us, we create a world where problems persist because the people with the power to solve them don’t experience the pain of those problems personally. (Please re-read that sentence).

He then shares why approaching the world through the lens of kindness makes a huge difference not only to others, but to yourself as well.

Here’s what I know for sure: kindness isn’t about creating a world that works just for me and people like me. It’s about creating a world that works for everyone.

And to be painfully clear, this isn’t about unnecessary guilt or performative activism.

This is about recognizing that our individual wellbeing is connected to the collective wellbeing of our communities and our world.

Read the full blog post on Shola’s Kindness Extremist website.