Summary
Bryan Tsiliacos (South San Francisco, US) committed to completing 30 acts of kindness in the last year of his 20s, as well as to inspire others, and start a chain reaction of kindness. One of his first acts of kindness was to deliver almost 400 individual flan desserts to all 32 fire stations in the city of San Jose, California.
Story
When Bryan Tsiliacos (South San Francisco, US) turned 29, he started reflecting about life, and realized how all his achievements and successes would not have been possible without the generosity and kindness of others. He thus committed to completing 30 acts of kindness in the last year of his 20s, hoping that, through his acts, he could spark the flame of kindness in others, and inspire people to give back in their own way. He believed that one act can lead to hundreds, and consequently start a chain reaction of kindness.
“Because so many people have helped me along this journey, I decided for my last year of my 20s I wanted to give back by doing 30 acts of kindness.”
One of his first acts of kindness was to deliver almost 400 individual flan desserts to all 32 fire stations in the city of San Jose, California. As the firefighters felt the sweet taste of the flans of kindness, they were delighted – and truly grateful. This feeling of gratitude further inspired them to act compassionately, and perform their own acts of kindness in their community.
In fact, kindness is contagious. Scientists at Harvard and Yale have found that kindness has a ripple effect out to three social steps, or three degrees of separation. If you are kind to someone, that person will likely be kind to five other people, who in turn will do the same. Therefore, one simple act of kindness could impact 125 people in one single day, which is an outstanding effect.
We should never underestimate the importance of our acts of kindness, or question whether they will make a difference. Any action, no matter how small, can have a very powerful impact, and mean the world to someone else.
A version of this story was originally published by NBC Bay Area.