Day 18. Thinking on the past
Recall a memory of something kind that your person did for you in the past, and retell it to him/her today, with a particular focus on how it made or makes you feel (then or now). Extra bonus points if you have a picture or something tangible to pull out and look at together when you retell the story. "Honey, remember when you brought me that pillow you made in art class, that took you a whole month to embroider? That was so sweet of you. It made me feel really special."
Coach's Corner: Thinking back about good things won't just impact the other person; it prevents the common trap of getting your mindset stuck on today's problems. A 2014 The Atlantic article on John Gottman's research pointed out, "People who are focused on criticizing their partners miss a whopping 50 percent of positive things their partners are doing and they see negativity when it's not there." (See Emily Esfahani Smith, "Masters of Love", The Atlantic, Jun 12, 2014.)
The 30-Day Kindness Challenge is brought to you via our partnership with Shaunti Feldhahn, and is based on her research for The Kindness Challenge.
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