My year of discovery taught me the value of being curious. Letting myself wander subject to subject, website to website, book to book, until I found my true passion was an enjoyable and beneficial process. Reading and watching others’ work inspired me and ignited my own desire to contribute. Below is a collection of my favorite resources, which I will continue to update as I continue my journey as a student. I don’t receive anything for these recommendations – I just want to help us all to continue to learn from each other. I encourage you to embark on your own journey of discovery…and have fun doing it! Also – please send me any suggestions you think would be a worthy addition.
Volunteering in your community is a win for all involved – you can read why in this post. This organization makes it easy to find out how you can get involved in your neighborhood.
Using science to unlock the power and potential of humanity’s greatest asset: kindness.” I admire this organization’s commitment to scientifically researching and proving the benefits of kindness.
Houston Kraft and the CharacterStrong team builds curriculums and trainings for social-emotional skills and leadership in schools.
An incredible resource of free content that promotes kindness towards others.
Dr. David Hamilton uses approachable language to explain the scientific benefits of kindness. And I love his videos! His enthusiasm makes me smile.
Have you ever wanted to help but you just don’t know how? This site makes finding volunteering experiences accessible, providing a way to create purpose and connection in your life.
The Greater Good Science Center is a treasure trove of research, articles, trainings, newsletters and more! Their mission is to shift society to be kinder and more compassionate and gives you the research and tools to make it happen.
This organization helps provide books for young readers – when the positive impact is greatest. Reading changes lives.
A succinct and powerful challenge to be kinder in life.
An online space to practice small acts of kindness. With 21 day challenges, a newsletter, stories about kindness and more – it’s a great place to visit for inspiration and ideas on kindness.
I found this article intriguing…are we focusing too much on ourselves?
This article is an easy to understand and concise guide on the main reasons kindness is beneficial to your health. It also has great links throughout the article to other resources I have found invaluable.
The Science of Kindness: More research backing up the benefits of kindness to your health. This time from a major hospital: Cedars Sinai – ranked #6 hospital in the nation by US News & World Report.
The benefits of kindness from a psychologist’s point of view. Includes a great list of ideas of how to practice kindness in your life.
This article was appealing to me due to its compelling information proving how kindness is such a great mood booster.
A great article by the New York Times that discusses the health advantages of volunteering. Also – lots of great links to related topics.
Still not convinced? This article from WebMD is straightforward and comprehensive.
Although this is just a short summary from a study, it convinced me to start practicing the Loving Kindness meditation.