Small Thoughts Matter Most

Was shopping alongside an elderly Auntie when she commented that the flowers were not nice. I smiled to her and chose this bouquet and left to buy other stuff. As I was choosing fruits, the same Auntie pop by and told me my bouqet of flowers was nice because of the yellow flowers. She mentioned that the one she eventually chose was not as nice.

Earlier, I was choosing between this bouquet and another selection so I thought since Auntie likes it, she can have it. I can take the other bouquet as I find them pretty too. I went to look for her in the queue and offered her this bouquet. I told her I can buy another bouquet but she declined politely and thanked me.

I think being nice to others and making people feel warm and happy doesn't always require big actions. Sometimes, it is the little thoughts and actions that matter most. If you open your heart to kindness, opportunities will come and you will be a happier person, cheers to a more heartwarming community for all :)

Learning to Be More Tolerant

I saw an empty seat on the train and was going to occupy it when I saw someone's bag taking half of the seat. I took the remaining half and when the man turned, I smiled at him and he smiled back at me and removed his bag.

Do I need to be angry with his actions? Do I need to take a photo and shame him on social media? My answer and my approach is "No". Let's have more tolerance over others' shortcomings. Being angry or pissed off is not going to make the situation better.

Another year has passed and as we age, we must all learn to increase our EQ and cultivate inner peace. This way, we will lead more fulfilling lives.

Charity & Risk Part 2

Dear Friends,

There have been a few alleged cases of people abusing the kindness of others, e.g. beneficiaries selling items they collect, fundraisers not being accountable for the donations they raise. I urge caution for everyone and hope that no one has a bad experience while giving kindness. As much as we want to inculcate a loving and giving environment for everyone here in P2P, we must be vigilant against potential scammers. Please do not give when in doubt, even if the initiatives were shared by our P2P admins or myself. I very much welcome anyone to question me until they are assured, on the initiatives I share. The same applies to all our P2P AdminsDerek, Vicknes, JiaJia).

Our group is a public group, so are our posts. This is to facilitate members sharing and creating awareness for various initiatives/ event that need help. On the flip side, what we post here are accessible by anyone on the Internet with a Facebook account. If there should be anyone who PM you to ask for items, please do not entertain and refer them to the admins. For the genuine cases, we can refer them to social welfare groups or volunteer groups for assistance. Please also refrain from posting your mobile numbers on our group, and especially to my dear friend, Susan, please try not to post your parent's residence address, ha smile emoticon

Also, the kind nature inside every one of us sometimes make us very eager to help, whenever a news broke out in the media. I think every case is unique and it will be good to understand more about what is required, why beneficiaries are not getting enough help from the social welfare organizations (Comcare), Volunteer Welfare Org (VWOs) before we decide how we can support with cash or in-kind donation. As I always advocate, keep the cash donation amount small, get more people involved, it is more meaningful as everyone gets to play a part and it will minimize the risk for everyone.

My group of admins will do our best to scrutinize the posts in this group but please be careful on your end. We do not wish for any of your kindness and generosity to be abused or taken for granted. Let's continue to uphold the spirit of kindness and love, while exercise caution as we give.

Thank you !

Read about Charity & Risk Part 1 here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1686153144947011/

Thank You to A Special Person

Dear Friends,

2015 is coming to an end soon, hope it has been a good year for you. No matter how it turns out, I hope you join me to thank a special person, that person is YOU.

In this year, you have worked hard for your cause, you have touched lives, you have helped people, you have brought joy to strangers, you have provided for your family, you have sacrificed for your children, you have cared for your parents, you strived hard to chase your dreams, you are pained by your struggles and loss, yet you have shown courage to overcome them all, you have tried your best to be a better person. While there is still room for improvement, be proud of who you are, what you have worked hard for and all the things you have accomplished this year.

Before we try to love others, lets learn to love and be kind to ourselves first. We sometimes stressed ourselves out with the too much expectations on our shoulders, we compare with others and define our success based on their standards. However, the only person who has the rights to tell you if your life is well-lived or not is yourself. Be kind to yourself, love yourself and thank yourself for being you, you deserve it, cheers :)

$2, The Price of Happiness

I bought this pack of tissue for $2 and it makes me happy. An old uncle who lost a foot was selling it by the side of a bus stop. He looked quite sad initially (maybe biz was poor) but when I bought it from him and insisted on taking 1 out of 3 packs, he instantly become so happy. He was nice to wish me well too.

$2, that is the price of happiness, buy one get one free, his and mine :)

Kindness & Tolerance

This morning, I overhead 2 Aunties asking around for a pen at my void deck. So, I turned and offered them one. They asked for paper to write down a contact no. I tored half a receipt for them to write in the blank space. One of the Auntie asked me to write the name and contact no. for her, which I did. They were very thankful and I felt happy to be able to help.
I was waiting at the taxi stand when a young man appeared in front of me. He seemed to be in a hurry as he was waving for cab. Initially, I wanted to tell him politely that he was cutting my queue but I thought since my appointment was not time critical, he can have the cab first if he is in a hurry. The cab finally came and I asked him to take it but he declined and asked me to board instead. I thought this situation could have easily become an unhappy one if I decided to get angry with his actions and confront him.
If we can have more kindness and tolerance, the world will be a better place and we would be happier people :)

The Power of The Mind & Thoughts

The mind is the most powerful tool we have inside us. The mind can work for us (generate ideas that create an impact) or against us (generate fears, worries which can lead to anxiety issues). Our mind process what we see or hear and generates thoughts, good or bad, constructive or unconstructive. When we give thoughts permission, they become actions.

There are reasons why people give permission to unconstructive thoughts which leads to unconstructive actions. It could be due to their upbringing, their social influence or simply because they are bored. Speaking of being bored, it is not always the case of nothing to do. We can be very preoccupied with tasks but yet feel bored. This boredom comes from repeating the same routine over and over again, finding no motivation or interest in the things we do.

Thoughts become actions, which then become habits and soon develops into a lifestyle. Ever wonder why some people spend most of their time feeling unhappy, disgruntled or gossiping about others, while some people are spending the same amount of time inspiring people, changing lives and living life to the fullest? It all started off with that thought in the mind.

The whole kindness campaign that I am trying to advocate is not just about raising the quality of life for others, it's also about making ourselves a better person. When we have kind thoughts, we give kind actions, which eventually becomes a way of life. When we make a difference to the lives of others, we add value in what we do and that increases our self esteem/ worth. When everyone starts to lead the kindness way of life, it will enhance the social influence factor, which could define our culture. We pass this experience to our children as part of their upbringing. We create a positive ring of influence that is so strong that people are influenced/ inclined towards constructive thoughts, actions.

My dear friends, I encourage you to fill your mind with as much kind, positive and constructive thoughts as you possibly can, it will do you and everyone else a world of good, thank you !

The Healing Power of Kindness

Dear Friends,

I am not sure if this makes any sense to you but I believe that the place where kindness thrives produces plenty of positive energy, which would be a source of healing for friends who are feeling negative. This healing ground is right here at our P2P group.

Life can get us down when things are not going our way. We can also be angered or stressed by the actions of others. When you are feeling upset, worried, vexed, angry, stressed, sad or any negative emotions, take some time to browse through our group's posts and see the amount of kindness being spread around. You may find that your problems are not as big as you think (after reading the plight of others) or you may feel heartened to see so many amazing people around (whoever makes you upset probably forms the minority group). Whatever it is, I do hope that our group, which is full of love and kindness, can heal you off your negative emotions and make you feel better.

I wrote this on my wall in Feb 2014 and I would like to share it again here:

"Dear Friends,

If you are feeling down, sad, worried or going through a bad patch in life, try to give a bit of kindness to others, in simplest ways you can; be it an encouragement, a nice compliment, or some simple ways to make someone happy. Not only will doing so get your mind off those nonconstructive thoughts, it might even make you feel better. No harm trying"

I hope P2P can be like the "Tree of Souls" in the movie Avatar, which has healing powers to help anyone who is feeling down or going through a rough patch. I leave you all with this quote from Martin Luther King Jr:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Essence of P2P (Updated on 3 Dec 15)

Dear Friends,

I have done some housekeeping in this post so that you can find the info you need faster. I will pin this post to facilitate quick referral for friends who are looking for kindness/ volunteer opportunities or looking to donate away their preloved items to bless others who are less fortunate. Thank you very much for your support for P2P and for spreading the love and kindness around, please continue to keep up the good work you are doing. We can make our world a better place, through acts of random kindness, one at a time.

heart emoticon Volunteer Groups in Singapore - Learn more about the great work that ordinary Singaporeans are doing locally and overseas and find volunteer opportunities here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1486209361608058/

heart emoticon Donation of Preloved Items
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1509810142581313/

heart emoticon Donation of Children Items to benefit Underprivileged Children (Local and Overseas)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1486449848250676/

heart emoticon Blessing Groups
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1696516543910671/

heart emoticon Social Enterprises
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1699630406932618/

heart emoticon Volunteer Opportunities
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1505192103043117/

heart emoticon The I-WANT-TO-VOLUNTEER Namelist
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1681094808786178/

heart emoticon Recycling Initiatives
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1594372984125028/

heart emoticon What Makes Us Happy In Singapore?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1618414081720918/

heart emoticon Need a Listening Ear?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1654045248157801/

heart emoticon Charity & Risk
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1686153144947011/

heart emoticon For New Members - Welcome to Our Kindness Family
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1674282459467413/

P2P 2.0

I am pleased to share this post from Charlotte, on her experience in taking part in the photo competition to help win an ipad mini for a child from a less privileged family. When I suggested this initiative last week, this is exactly what I hope to achieve, to empower volunteers to become leaders and contribute in their own ways.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/permalink/1698306513731674/

Charlotte, Yvonne & Jiajia took up this challenge, went on to design their posters and rally their friends to help vote. We faced a very strong opponent but we persisted, change our strategy and we are seeing some rewards now. This teaches us that if we don't even try, we will never succeed in anything. Even in failure, we take heart that we tried our best and we learn something out of the experience. Regrets are more painful for the things we didn't do than the things we did.

Looking forward, I hope this is start of something new for P2P (I called it P2P 2.0), where our members take on a bigger role in fronting initiatives like this to inspire more people to give kindness. I could have done this on my own, like what I have been doing for the past 2 years, but it gives me greater satisfaction if I can empower more people to step out to lead new kindness initiatives.

Dear friends, you must believe that you have as much potential to make an impact on our community and that you can do wonders, as far as your imagination can bring you to. You can start small, one step at a time, and slowly you will create a bigger impact in time to come. This P2P group is not for me to build my legacy, it is made for you, to find opportunities in giving and to find joy while doing so. It is meant to enhance our community spirit as we help one another and thus creating a more positive and loving environment for everyone. It is meant to enrich us in many ways, help us find our meaning and purpose in life, through the service to others. I hope this culture of giving will continue in generations to come. Thank you all so much for being a part of this, cheers :)