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Karma
Karma
and the Art of Being Thoughtful
by Joe Tracy, publisher of Online
Dating Magazine Thoughtfulness
is one of the most amazing virtues that a person
can possess and if you are lucky enough in life to
find someone who has this trait, you'll find it it
to be equivalent of winning the lottery. Hold
on to that ticket!
A person who is thoughtful is consistently
thinking about the comfort of the people around him/her.
Simply possessing and practicing this trait vastly
increases a person's attractiveness and appreciation
from others.
Publicly, thoughtful people have been
known to:
1) Let you merge in front of them
on the freeway.
2) Let you in front of them in the grocery
line when you have fewer items.
3) Pay for your bus
fare when you were short.
4) Put money in your parking
meter when they see it has reached zero and you may
be ticketed.
5) Take a picture of you and your family
for you when you're on vacation.
A person who does random acts of kindness,
in a thoughtful and non-rewarding way, has developed
his/her karma to the point of being a "great catch"
in the dating world. Take the following scenario:
I once knew a couple (we'll call them
Ann and Robert) or were both very thoughtful people
and it showed in their relationship:
- When he'd go on a long trip, by car,
Ann would pack him little gifts and he'd have to
unwrap one at each gas stop (making the trip much
more enjoyable).
- When they'd go to a movie theater,
Robert would put his hand between her arm and the
hard armrest so that she was more comfortable.
- Ann would create a list of all the
things she loved about him and randomly email those
to him.
- When she had a headache, Robert would
rub her head without being asked.
Constantly this couple was doing things
for each other to increase the other's comfort level
and happiness. And that's exactly what thoughtfulness is: "showing heed for the well-being or happiness of
others and a propensity for anticipating their needs
or wishes" (American Heritage Dictionary).
This best thing about thoughtfulness
is that it is a virtue that can be learned.
Not many people possess it, but those who do are true
"diamonds in the rough". You can be one of these diamonds.
Here's how:
Learn About Karma
Karma is the belief and reality that the amount of
joy you bring others in life equates to the amount
of joy you will receive in life. It's like "cause
and effect" - when you cause someone else to be unhappy,
the effect is that you will be unhappy in life. When
you cause someone happiness, the effect is that more
happiness will find its way into your life. So by
doing random acts of kindness towards others, your
Karma level increases, and your life is much more
balanced and happy as a result.
Recite the Golden Rule Before Taking
Action
The golden rule states that you should "do unto others
as you'd have them do unto you." Keep this at the forefront
of your mind at all times. When you're constantly thinking
about others happiness and doing random acts of kindness,
you'll find your happiness increasing along with the
amount of random acts of kindness that are returned
to you. Realize, understand, accept, and appreciate
that you are doing these random acts of kindness out
of a genuine desire to make the world around you better
and not because you want things in return.
Start with a Karma List
Because being thoughtful is a learned trait, it's important
to track your progress until you get to a point of
doing thoughtful things all the time without having
to think about it. Do this by creating a "Karma List".
Specifically list three things you are going to do
every day to help someone else and leave items #4
and #5 blank to fill in at the end of the day from
"on the spot" acts of kindness you did. Here's an
example:
Monday"s Karma List:
____ 1) Mail an "I love you"
card to my girlfriend's home address.
____ 2) Go to lunch at Taco Bell and at the Drive-Thru,
pay for the person's meal in the car behind me.
____ 3) Send an email to my coworker, Mike, letting
him know what a great job he did on the report.
____ 4)
____ 5)
Note that with item #1, you are doing
something for someone you love for no reason other
than to express that love. Your partner won't be
expecting to receive something in the mail from you
(particularly if you live together or close by) and
her week will be much brighter and full of cheer
when she receives your act of kindness in the mail.
Item #2 is an act of kindness you are doing for a
stranger; this is vital to improving who you are.
Item #3 expresses appreciation to someone else; in
this case a coworker, going out of your way to say
kind words of appreciation for something the person
did. Items #4 and #5 are intentionally blank, because
during the course of the day I need to do at least
two unscripted random acts of kindness and fill them
in at the end of the day.
Follow this plan strictly for 30 days
and you'll find that being kind to others has become
a habit that no longer needs to be scripted. You'll
be 500% more happy with your life and others will be
more attracted to you as a person who always puts the
needs of others above yourself.
Part
of learning to be thoughtful is having great humility
(humbleness). Never flaunt what you do or seek attention
for it. Be quick to give credit to others. Build
other people up and they will build you up. The most
important lesson you will learn through being thoughtful
is that you have truly made this world a better place
because of your presence in it. And a life of meaning
is the single greatest reward that can be bestowed
upon anyone.
> Perfectmatch.com - The best approach to find the one.
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