The quote “Throw kindness around like confetti” is one of my favorite sayings, and one that I see everywhere! I’ve always thought of this quote as the perfect visual behind the idea of using random acts of kindness in our daily lives, but what does this “kind-fetti” truly look like to others?
Photo by Studio Eiler @studioeiler
About the Challenge
This post was inspired by a challenge that I participated in throughout the month of July called The Random Love Letter Challenge. The challenge was held on Instagram and hosted by three very talented artists – Olivia, Jackie, and Mandy. Each day, anyone who wanted to join in on this challenge would leave an inspiring or motivating note in the form of a quote or message somewhere for someone to find. Some people left their notes in menus, others left them on shelves in stores, and some were even left out in more public places like telephone poles or parking meters! We would then post up our pictures on Instagram tagging @randomloveletter as well as #randomloveletter. There were even a few times when people would connect with others who found their note! You can see a gallery of my random love letters from the challenge at the bottom of this post!
July consists of 31 days, giving me 31 opportunities to reflect on the idea of kindness and what it truly means. I think one of the best things about getting older is continuing to evolve into better versions of ourselves with the character traits that we learned as children. Kindness, a concept that I teach to my kindergartners every day is an idea that we as adults can learn more about, too (in a more “adultish” way of course). This challenge really served as 31 mini reflections for me on kindness, each leading me to think a little deeper about this idea of throwing kindness around like confetti.
1. Kindness can be random, but also intentional
While I do think we should “throw kindness around like confetti,” I also think our “throws” can be somewhat 
intentional. While my love letters that I stuck around were definitely random in many ways, I also chose to be intentional with my words and some of their placements as the days went on. Some days I left my “love letter” for a specific person to find and wrote with them in mind, and then there were other days when I wrote a more general, positive note for anyone to find, hoping that whoever did find it would connect with its words in some way.
Intentional words also radiate empathy, and I truly believe that empathy is one of the core pieces of kindness. Writing an intentional note that encourages someone not give up acknowledges the fact that life can be difficult sometimes. It also lets others know that they are not along in these struggles! This challenge made me consider who might find my note and what words they might need to see in that moment.
2. No piece of kind-fetti is too small
These notes literally took me 2 minutes at the most to write and stick somewhere. I carried around post-its in my bag wherever I went, and when my heart put an idea for a quote in my mind or a placement inspired me, I wrote it out and left it for someone to find. This simple paper/pen gesture of 2 minutes could be the words that could cause someone to smile despite a bad day, or think about something that is going on in their life in a different way.
Everyone has something that the are struggling with or a battle that they are fighting. Simply seeing the words, “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be AMAZING,” could strike a chord with someone and be just what they need to power through the day or take the next step with something that has been causing them an internal struggle. At the same time, seeing a cute message like, “Enjoy your meal” inside of a menu could be an unexpected surprise that might make someone smile. No message or act of kind-fetti is too small to leave!
3. Trust in where your kind-fetti falls
I never knew who would find my notes or how they would feel about the message I left. Would 30 people would see it? Would only one person see it and then take it or even throw it away? Either way, I knew at least ONE person would read my note which meant that there was at least one chance that someone would be impacted by what I chose to write that day.
Imagine if we all left one note around each day and one person saw it. Now imagine if we all left one note around each day and 70 people saw it. You never know how many people you could touch with a simple act of kindness! You are making someone think, even if it’s only for a fleeting moment. Trust in what could come from that one thought, that one second, because it could be something amazing!
Bonus: Shower yourself with kind-fetti!
For so long when I thought about kindness, I never thought about being kind to myself. I just didn’t. Throughout our schooling and our youth we are taught that it is important to be kind to others and treat others the way we want to be treated. But what about treating yourself with kindness, too?
We are so hard on ourselves sometimes. We become frustrated by things like our bodies, our parenting, our daily mental struggles, and our job performances. Some days we downright question whether or not we are doing this thing called life correctly. I know I am guilty of most of these thoughts. But why? Why do I think it’s okay constantly be tough on myself?
My new mantra?
“If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to yourself.”- Jane Travis
This was a game changer quote for me this past year. Many of these notes that I left around for others to see I actually needed to see myself. One part of this challenge I enjoyed was visiting the @randomloveletter page and scrolling through the kind notes that others participating the challenge were leaving for others. I needed to read those words and I needed to take the advice that I was handing out each day. It’s so important that we save some of our kind-fetti for ourselves. Be kind to yourself because your heart is listening!
If you are on Instagram, I encourage you to visit the page @randomloveletter to see pictures from the July challenge, and to stay updated on challenges in the future! Consider starting your own Random Love Letter Challenge with your family or friends at work! I hope you enjoy the gallery of my letters at the bottom of the post! It includes the 31 letters that I left around for others to find throughout the month of July!
[ctt template=”2″ link=”b9d91″ via=”yes” ] Being intentional and honest with your acts of kindness whenever the moment strikes your heart means that they will be random throughout your day, and that they will be coming from a place of empathy and love.[/ctt]The best way to throw kind-fetti around is to listen to what your heart is telling you to do in that moment. This might be leaving a kind note, paying for someone’s coffee, or just giving a warm smile to someone passing by on the street. Being intentional and honest with your acts of kindness whenever the moment strikes your heart means that they will be random throughout your day, and that they will be coming from a place of empathy and love.
Time to go shower the world with your kind-fetti! Have fun!!!
Wishing you zest & light,
Stephanie =)
This is a great idea! I LOVE the kindness love letters. I may start leaving these at work myself. 😉
Thanks so much, Patricia! I’m sure the people you work with would be so happy to find love letters around! =) Thanks so much for reading!
Stephanie!!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻I absolutely loved reading this post.. it brought back all the feels during the challenge! I think it is so awesome that you wrote a post about the experience and about continuing or doing your own thing! I loved thinking about my statements and placing them around for different people to see and I agree, even if only one person noticed or read it, they were affected. I want to do some more soon and I am gearing up for the bathrooms coming soon at school! I am hoping it will be an amazing thing for the young girls to see! Your post made me smile so much remembering how fun it was! Every time I wrote something; I had to say it back to myself, because many times I needed to hear it as well! Thanks for being so inspiring and writing with such kindness and excitement!
Thank you, Erin!! Writing this post was truly a treat, and I loved going through all of my love letters! It definitely made me want to start leaving more! I am so happy that we did this challenge together; your notes were ones that I learned from and took in every single day. They were all so encouraging and inspiring, and words that I needed to hear!! I think that your idea to start them up in the bathrooms at school is amazing, and I can’t wait to hear about the response that it gets from your students. How lucky they are to have such a caring, positive role model for a teacher =) Thank you for your beautiful and thoughtful comment!
Love this!! I want to start my own #randomloveletter challenge!
Terri, thank you so much! You should totally start your own #randomloveletter challenge! The more random acts of kindness we have out there the better! Definitely spread the word =) Thank you for reading!
I love this! I am going to try and figure out how I can leave notes! ❤️
Thank you so much, Judy! Yes! It’s as easy as carrying around post-its and pen! =)
This is a a fabulous wonderful idea!!! I love the idea of spreading some joy and happiness!!!
I agree, Shell! I was so excited about this challenge when I stumbled upon it on my friends Instagram feed! It was such a joyful and happy experience =) Thanks for reading!
This truly is inspiring and I love the notes, which must have left many people smiling and walking a lot lighter. Moreover, I love your new mantra and lots of people will learn from it with their own self-talk.
Thank you, Mary! I definitely wish I could have seen the reactions of the people who found them =) And yes, that self love and self-talk is so important. This is an idea that I have really been working on and will continue to work on in the coming days! I do hope this quote reaches peoples’ hearts when they read it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Mary!
So awesome because these are guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone’s face!
I hope so, Glenna! I wish that I could have seen the reactions of the people who found them or saw them =) Thanks so much for reading!
You’re too cute! This post brightened my morning :)!
Awww thank you, Milda, I’m so glad!! You are so sweet =)
What a simple thing to do that can have a huge impact on someone! I especially like the quote you posted about the way we speak to ourselves. Sometimes we can be so hard on ourselves while being so kind and giving to our friends. Thank you for your love letters and for the inspiring post!
Thank you, mom! I agree that it is such a simple thing that we can do for others =) It only take a couple of minutes, and it could make someone’s day! I’m so happy that you also liked that quote. It is one of the best quotes I have found that truly reminds me be a kinder person to myself. Thank you for commenting!! Love you! =)
Wow, I am obsessed with the featured photo for this – so creative!
Secondly, I am living for that quote and it being your new mantra. What a great thought to always keep in mind! It’s so easy to be hard on ourselves and not realize how much it impacts our mindset.
Thanks for reminding me that it is just as important to love myself as it is to love others 🙂
– Jordan
Thank you so much, Jordan! I will pass that compliment onto my husband; he helps me with all of my photography and photo art! I’m so happy that you enjoyed that quote as much as I did! I have to tell myself that a few times a week and remind myself to be kind to my heart in order to keep up with my mental health. Self love is so important! Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts!
Sometimes we need to be reminded!! Thank you for reminding me that being kind and patient to myself will radiate to those around me!
You’re so welcome, Judith! It is very true that being kind to ourselves only helps our relationships with others. It’s something that I need to remember, too! Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts! =)
I love this! So happy I found your site, we often do random acts of kindness with the kids and adults, it’s a beautiful thing and we need more of it to send out light instead of darkness x
Claire, thank you so much for reading and stopping by Citrus & Sun!! Yes, I think that we as adults need random acts of kindness just as kids do! It’s so important that we never stop showing that kindness to each other and to the world. We need it more than ever!! Thank you for commenting!
OMG KIND-FETTI. I have never heard that before but I am IN LOVE with that phrase!!!!! I throw it around like crazy!
Hi GiGi! I am so glad you like it! I love your energy, I can totally feel it coming through in your comment =) =) I love that you throw kind-fetti around so much!! Maybe you can try leaving a random love letter somewhere!! Thanks so much for reading!!
SO cute, and what a great idea! I’ve heard so many stories where people found little notes and it made their day. 🙂 Good reminder.
I have heard so many stories like that too, Shelby! I secretly hope that I find one someday! =) Thanks so much for reading my post and visiting Citrus & Sun!
I can’t believe I’ve never heard the line, “throw kindness like confetti”! I’m definitely going to have to start saying that. It’s something I try to live by. We need a lot of kindness in this world.
Angie, isn’t it a great quote to live by?? Our world is definitely in need of as much kindness as we can give. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
Let the challenge begin… 🙂
I love it, Vanessa!! Have fun!! =) Thanks for reading!!
Thank you so much for this article. I am going to start carrying post-it’s with me and following in your footsteps! “Stay patient and trust the journey” rings loud with me.
Mel, I am so happy that this challenge inspired you to carry post-its with you! It’s such an easy thing to do to spread kindness =) I also LOVE that quote. It was the last quote I left for someone to find on July 31st, and it was probably my favorite one! Thanks for stopping by Citrus & Sun! Have fun spreading your kind-fetti!
This is such a fun and amazing idea!! I love the concept of this, especially leaving a note in a menu. I have some ideas on how to use this in my life 🙂
Thank you, Kelsi! I am glad that it gave you some ideas!! The more random kindness we have in our world, the better! Thanks for reading!
Here in Houston there’s a Christian channel called KSBJ and they do something similar with Post-its! I always look forward to that time so I can participate!! Loved the read and will check out the IG page!
How cool!! I LOVE hearing about other challenges around the country who are spreading kindness in different ways! Thank you for sharing and for reading my post, girl!
This is amazing! I want to join in! It reminds me of one of my favorite books, “Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch” (an amazing children’s book for those of you who haven’t yet read it!)! Thank you for loving others well! 🙂
YES, this is definitely the same idea as in that book (One of my favorites that you’ve introduced me to by the way)!! One act of kindness no matter how small can make a difference! I think we could start this up in some way with our kids! =) Thanks for reading and reminding me of this amazing book, Lyndsey!