Why the Kindness 180 Challenge

Erin M. Marone
Aug 13, 2017
2 min read

Sometimes you can feel stuck while waiting for the next great idea for an innovative lesson or piece of inspiration to transform your classroom to come to you. Sometimes you might even feel as stuck as that little bit of smoothie that just won't come out of your straw no matter how many times you wash it! And sometimes when you feel stuck, you have to force yourself out of your comfort zone to tackle something new and exciting. Enter the Kindness 180 Challenge, which has been trending on Twitter with the hashtag #Kindness180.

After surfing Twitter for inspiration, I came across a blog post by Staci Erikson on Lead Like a Pirate's site. While reading the blog, the philosophy behind the challenge spoke to me as it called for slowing down and appreciating things around you more. When you do something kind for someone, you build a relationship with them. With a relationship comes trust and with trust comes a positive outlook and culture.

This summer, I took time to focus on myself. It was the first summer in a very long time where I was not taking classes, certification exams, or working. I did a nutrition reset with the Whole 30, said ciao to caffeine, decluttered and started to sprinkle a little yoga here and there throughout the weeks to improve myself. If I hoped to become an administrator or educational leader, I needed to be the best version of myself. So, I took a little break to integrate healthy habits into my lifestyle.

But, it's not only about eating healthy and exercising to be balanced, it is also about our mindset--how we feel, think and perceive the world around us. The Kindness 180 Challenge on Twitter spoke to me as a way to complete my journey into being a better version of myself. A way to become unstuck! After all, who couldn't benefit from being a little kind? I was intrigued to see if this challenge would indeed change me 180 degrees.

The challenges are broken up into categories: random acts of kindness, helping others in need, self kindness and 180 challenges. The blog post reported that 180 challenge are split into two parts, showing kindness to those who have hurt you and then those you have hurt.

I'm choosing to complete the challenges on a personal level for the remainder of the summer and then I would like to see how I can incorporate them with my students come September.

First challenge accepted: Write an encouraging letter to your three month from now self.

The list of challenges are available on the Kindness 180 blog.

After participating in several challenges, I hope to blog about the experience! Will you join me in taking the Kindness 180 Challenge?