(Editor in Chief Womans Day) Susan Spencer - When action follows heart : 365 ways to share kindness every day of the year

Praise for
When Action Follows Heart

Kindness, gratitude, and service have real power to transform our lives, which is why this little inspiring book can have such a huge impact. Susan Spencer gives us a years worth of ideas for how to both change the lives of those around us and become our better selves. Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and Founder/CEO of Thrive Global

We all want to be kinderand weve all used the excuse that we dont know where to start. Well, the staff of Womans Day has blown that excuse out of the water. You may not use every idea in When Action Follows Heart, but even doing a few of them will change your lifeand the lives of others. Dave Ramsey, nationally syndicated radio talk show host and New York Times best-selling author

I love this book! The ideas suggested are the very things that make a lifeand Im giddy to actually go do them. My vibe has been raised and thats just the beginning of the good this book will do in your life. Mike Dooley,New York Times best-selling author of From Deep Space with Love and Playing the Matrix

When you give, you grow. This book will help you shed light on the immense capacity for good in the people around us. Mehmet Oz, M.D., Emmy award-winning host, The Dr. Oz Show and author of Food Can Fix It

Kindfulness is the new mindfulness! This beautiful book helps you to live a life you love by being a loving presence in other peoples lives. Robert Holden, author of Life Loves You and Holy Shift!

This inspiring collection is like a call to kindness. If you feel the impulse to do good in the world, the ideas in this book will quickly set you on the right path. You might find yourself addicted! Joan Lunden, journalist, advocate, and New York Times best-selling author

Over the years, Ive learned that kindness and generosity create gratitude. And grateful people are some of the most attractive people on the planet! If youre looking for a way to get your eyes off yourself and start making a difference in the world around you, When Action Follows Heart has to be on your must-read list. Rachel Cruze,New York Times best-selling author of Love Your Life, Not Theirs

Hay House Titles of Related Interest

YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE, the movie,
starring Louise Hay & Friends
(available as a 1-DVD program, an expanded 2-DVD
set, and an online streaming video)
Watch the trailer at: www.hayhouse.com/louise-movie

THE SHIFT, the movie,
starring Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
(available as a 1-DVD program, an expanded 2-DVD
set, and an online streaming video)
Watch the trailer at: www.hayhouse.com/the-shift-movie

POWER THOUGHTS: 365 Daily Affirmations,
by Louise Hay

HOLY SHIFT!: 365 Daily Meditations from A Course in
Miracles, edited by Robert Holden, Ph.D.

THE FIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF KINDNESS: This Book Will
Make You Feel Better, Be Happier & Live Longer,
by David R. Hamilton, Ph.D.

DAILY GUIDANCE FROM YOUR ANGELS: 365 Angelic
Messages to Soothe, Heal, and Open Your Heart,
by Doreen Virtue

All of the above are available at your local bookstore,
or may be ordered by visiting:
Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com
Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au
Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk
Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Copyright 2018 by Hearst Communications, Inc.

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast Books: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover design and Interior design: Jenny Richards

Front-cover and Interior illustrations: Jutta Kuss

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-5552-6

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1st edition, April 2018

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

A Little Book of Optimism

One of my favorite columns in Womans Day is the Kindness Project. The idea behind it is very simple: we showcase our readers kind acts toward others. The column is one of the most popular in the magazine, and we always have a steady stream of submissions from people eager to share their good deeds.

As the idea of turning the column into a book took shape, I began to gather more stories and to ask others how they had witnessed and experienced kindness. I found myself totally immersed in generosity, and it had a wonderful effect. I was more attuned to kindness around me and noticed kind acts almost every day: a man helping an elderly stranger into a seat on a bus, a bunch of zinnias from a community garden appearing on a sick neighbors doorstep. I was even inspired to kindness myselfIm the bad driver who bumped (gently!) a womans fender and left a gift card on her windshield.

I came to realize that this book isnt just about kindness. Its about the instinct to reach out to others to connect and the warmth we feel when we genuinely help someone. Its about forgiveness, civility, mercy, and love. A single act of kindness, whether to a friend or a stranger, can become a spool of generosity that unwinds and touches the lives of so many.

Its my hope that oneor maybe moreof the ideas, reader stories, and quotations in this book will lead you to action. Start by turning to todays date, or flip to any page for random inspiration. Kindness is exactly what we need in our fractured world right nowit provides the simplest path to healing. Lets all begin.

Make a New Years resolution to mail a card to a different friend, relative, or acquaintance every week. You never know what each day may bring, and your card could be the one thing that gives them a sign of hope or feeling of love.

Each week, starting in January, put $1 in a Christmas jar. Two weeks before Christmas, youll have $50. Pick up a $50 gift certificate from a grocery store and give it anonymously to a family who cant afford food for the holidays.