life vest inside kindness boomerang essay

• Dec 29, 2020
• 13 min read

Lessons From the 'Kindness Boomerang' Effect

For Orly Wahba, a highly respected educator, author and public speaker, teaching others about the power of kindness has become more than a mission. It’s a way of life.

“If kindness is done right, if we’re able to empower people to recognize their value, then they are going to become more productive. There is going to be more innovation in the world, greater connection. That is my goal with this movement,” she says.

A former middle school teacher turned entrepreneur, Orly learned from her students just how impactful immersing yourself in acts of kindness, compassion and empathy can be. She realized that incorporating these values into her lesson plans holistically could help to engage and empower young people in a way that she could never have imagined.

That experience motivated her to start Life Vest Inside , a non-profit organization dedicated to ‘inspiring, empowering and educating people of all backgrounds to live a life of kindness.’

They do this through inspirational media such as films, educational projects (many of which have been incorporated into school curriculum), technology and live events.

At the heart of Orly’s belief is the understanding that self-love and self-compassion is the first step to being able to practice kindness in a genuine and impactful way.

“When you take a look at all of the vast social issues plaguing society today and you continuously ask the question of “WHY?” – what you find is that it all stems from a lack of self value, self worth and the feeling of lacking purpose,” says Orly. “The mission of Life Vest Inside is to prevent these issues from coming into existence. If you don’t see your own value, how can you possibly see the value in another?”

In Orly’s lesson-a-day book ‘ Kindness Boomerang ,’ she lists dozens of ideas for how to incorporate kindness into your everyday life.

Click here to watch the amazing film ‘ One Day ,' part of the Kindness Boomerang initiative, which currently has more than 34 million views on YouTube!

Orly truly believes that acts of kindness can change the world and once you hear more about her inspiring story in our Q&A below, you will too.

Orly, you began your career as a teacher. How did that experience inspire your journey to become a kindness advocate?

My seven years teaching were by far the most amazing, transformative years of my life. I loved my students very very much and I loved going to school everyday. For me as a teacher, my main goal was inspiring the students to see the beauty within themselves so that they could begin to then see the beauty within others. I was a teacher for middle schoolers - 7th & 8th grade students - which is a really challenging time. Those are very pivotal years, especially as you venture into high school, where you’re trying to figure out who you are or what everybody is telling you you should be.

So for me, it wasn’t just about teaching the facts and the figures, it was about incorporating kindness, compassion, empathy into every single classroom discussion. These were things we were working on on a daily basis and I embedded them into the curriculum, it wasn’t like a once-a-month thing where we were going to talk about kindness. Working with my students and helping them to become the best version of themselves actually helped me to become the very best version of myself because as a teacher, the most important thing you can do is model the behaviour that you’re expecting from your students.

So for me, character development, values, building myself up, always working to improve who I am, it’s always been very important to me ever since I was a child. It was basically thrown into hyper gear during my years teaching because I knew the way that I acted, the way that they saw me act, actually influenced them more than what I would tell them.

My years teaching were in a sense, the stepping stone for me to create this global organization and global movement called Life Vest Inside. My students told me, 'You have to take this message to the world' and that gave me the courage to take this leap of faith. I left my job teaching. It was supposed to be just for a year, just to see what would happen if I put my whole heart into this dream, this goal I had of really impacting change in the world. And this was a goal I had way before I became a teacher. This was a goal I had ever since I was a four year-old kid who dreamed of changing the world. It was a very big passion and a lot of it came from hardships and adversity that I personally faced in my adolescent years after there was a fire in my house when I was 15 years-old. It was a very devastating time. It was one of those years when everything that could go wrong, went wrong. My dad had lost his job and one thing after the next continued to go downhill. And when you see your family in suffering mode, in a problem situation, you don’t want to be a burden on them. So I would hide my emotions from them. My friends didn’t know what to say to me, so I hid my emotions from them too. Until one day when I just sort of broke down, and I fell into a very scary and a very, very dark depression. Really dark. I felt very alone.

I was home from school for several months, sleeping most of the day, crying the rest of it. And during that time I was home, not one person came to visit. Not one person called to see if I was ok. And that made me feel like, well, if I wasn’t here tomorrow, would that really make a difference to anybody? I felt like the answer was no. And that scared me more than anything. I felt so alone. I didn’t feel like I deserved to be here and I wanted everything to end. I’ll never forget that feeling and after several months, I went back to school, but I wasn’t the same kid. Then, one morning I woke up and I was getting ready to go to school and I was in the bathroom, I was looking at myself in the mirror and the craziest thing happened. I didn’t see that four-year old Orly that wanted to change the world looking back at me. It was like she was gone, like someone had taken her. It was in that moment that I made a promise to myself. And it’s my belief that it’s that promise that led me to my years teaching and it’s that promise that led me to the work I’m doing with Life Vest Inside and it’s that promise that wakes me up every morning and that has guided me to all other projects and initiatives that I’m doing or will continue to do in my life.

It was a promise to be there for people the way I wished somebody had been there for me. To see people the way I wished somebody had seen me.

Those next couple of years of high school were really tough, I was sort of walking alone. But the greatest thing happened to me, I got to fall in love with me, for me. Not because I wanted to impress this person or the other. And I got to find my voice - a voice that was always there inside of me begging to get out, but I was so shy as a kid, I had so little confidence. I didn’t love me enough. I was expecting to get my validation from outside. But it doesn’t work that way. Only once you value who you are, when you love who you are, then can others truly love you for who you are.

And so, for me, wanting to become a teacher was about making sure that no student felt the way I did in those years. I guess it’s that sense of empathy. When you go through that hardship in life, you develop a much deeper sense of empathy. And so the way in which you see people, the way in which you feel their pain is very different, and being a middle schooler can be very challenging. You’re in this in-between phase. You’re not an adult, but you’re not a kid. For me, it was always about giving voice to my students. I would put myself in their shoes and I’d speak to them from that perspective. And I believe it was that ‘training’ (without me knowing it was training) that really was part of my journey.

I did many kindness activities and initiatives with my students in class, many of which developed into how I built the organization. By seeing their reactions to the conversations about kindness that we would have in class, I began to recognize just how powerful the medicine of kindness really is, that it’s an anecdote to so many hardships and issues in the world.

With your website, book and films, what do you hope to achieve? What is your ultimate goal with the Life Vest Inside movement?

With Life Vest Inside, our mission is to inspire, empower and educate people from all backgrounds to lead a life of kindness. But our goal is not actually kindness, it’s empowerment - empowering people to recognize their value, that they matter, that they’re unique and significant. But kindness is the tool that gets us there. What do I mean by that? When a person is engaged in an act of kindness, or an act of giving, they feel this amazing sense of self value, because in that moment of kindness, you don’t need to be the smartest or the wealthiest or the prettiest to make a difference. You just need to be YOU.

The biggest issue that I feel our society is facing - both with children and adults alike - is when people feel a lack of self value, or self worth, wanting to be the ‘other’ guy, always looking and comparing and feeling like we’re not enough. As opposed to looking in the suitcase that has been specifically designed for us. What is in our suitcase? Which talents? Which skills? Which tools? Which resources? We need to learn to use them to make the world a better place, as opposed to looking in other peoples’ suitcases and wondering why don’t I have what they have?

We’re meant to utilize those things to advance the world and to advance ourselves, to develop our skills and our character. My goal with this movement is, if kindness is done right, if we’re able to empower people to recognize their value, then people are going to become more productive. There is going to be more innovation in the world, greater connection. If people recognize that they matter, then as a result, they recognize that their choices matter, and so they are more likely to make better choices. But if they don’t think that they matter, then they don't feel that their choices matter, that affects the world at large. So if we can simply empower people to understand their power in this world to impact change, we can really shift things in a tremendous way.

But more than that, where does unkindness come from? For me, it stems from an inability to recognize your own value because, again, if you don’t love you, how can you possibly love somebody else for who they are? If you can’t embrace yourself, how can you truly embrace another? If you embrace yourself with your flaws and your mistakes and your mishaps, and you’re secure in who you are, you can now embrace others for who they are.

In today’s world, dialogue has gone out the window. Difference of opinion is no longer there. If you don’t agree, suddenly you’re just bad. But in this world, there are different people with different perspectives and different ideologies. Everybody is different. Everyone has a different fingerprint on this world. We can’t expect everybody to be like us. All we can do is respect ourselves and embrace ourselves, so we can then embrace others for who they are.

So my ultimate goal with this LifeVestInside movement is to spread our message through inspiration media like film, through education by developing and implementing curriculum, through technology such as our Project Hope Exchange initiative, through leadership training programs and through international on-the-ground events like Dance for Kindness , these are the ways we look to achieve our goal.

And our goal is simple - it’s to help people recognize how interconnected we all are in this world and to recognize our value. To recognize that we are each here with a very specific purpose, something that we - and only we - are meant to give to the world. If we are not going to give our best selves, then something is going to be missing - a piece of the puzzle will not be put in place and therefore the puzzle will not be complete.

I love that you describe yourself as a lover of people. With your optimism, do you feel that kindness comes more easily for you, or do we all have the capacity to be kinder?

Great question. It’s my belief that we all have the capacity to be kinder because it’s my belief that human beings are inherently good. In our core, we are good. But somewhere along the way, we get hurt. Sometimes we lose trust, we lose faith in people, we lose faith in ourselves. It can make us become bitter or cynical. But my belief is that every pessimist is really a closet optimist, waiting and hoping for someone to prove to them that the world really is as good as they once hoped. We’ve all made mistakes, but if we constantly hold on to those mistakes and allow them to define us, or to define who other people are, we’ll never be able to advance. It’s not easy to trust after being hurt. It’s not easy to be vulnerable. But by learning to trust and have faith in one another, by opening ourselves up to potentially get hurt, we’re able to create a better world.

Kindness has been a part of me ever since I was a child. But does that mean that I’m always the kindest person, or that I don’t make mistakes? Of course not. We all do. We’ve all said things we didn’t mean to say, we’ve all done things that we didn’t mean to do. That doesn’t mean that we’re bad people. But if we define ourselves only by our actions, then we can never grow to become something better than what we were.

I’ve had many hardships in my life, many discouragements. I’ve definitely been hurt. But I always say, if I let that hurt and that pain change me, then they’ve won and I’ve lost. I cannot stop believing in the good of people. People tell me, ‘You’re too trusting, Orly. You’re so naive.’ Well if that means that I’m going to look at the world with fresh eyes everyday as though I’m a kid, then great. Bring it on! Because the minute that I lose that ability to see the world through the eyes of a child, then I’ve lost my essence of who I am.

We all have the capacity to be kinder, but it stems from our ability to trust, to have faith in each other even though we’ve been hurt. That doesn’t mean that you should be a door mat. Being kind doesn’t mean that you cannot be firm. Being kind doesn’t mean that you can’t stand up for yourself. Kindness begins first & foremost with ourselves, it stems more from the recognition of our own value. But I do believe we can grow that.

What do you hope children take away from your message?

I love kids. I see myself as a big kid. The biggest message I have for young people is to believe in yourself. That may seem simple, but it’s not. It’s probably one of the hardest things that you can do, recognizing that you matter. Every day when you wake up and you have air in your lungs, remember, that is on purpose. There is something that you are meant to do in this world that nobody else can do. And it doesn’t matter what mistakes you made yesterday and the day before, you are here for a reason and that’s to make the world a better place.

So have faith in yourself, believe in yourself. If you have a dream to achieve great things, don’t ever let it go. I know I haven’t. There have been many people who have tried to discourage me and there have been many times when I wanted to throw in the towel, but if you believe enough in your dreams, there’s nothing that you can’t achieve. We each have the capacity to do great things in this world. Sometimes the greatest things are the simplest things. Sometimes it’s a smile, or the advice that we give, or a shoulder that we allow somebody to lean on.

So seek out opportunities to engage in kindness on a daily basis, to be there for others. But don’t forget that it’s very important to be there for yourself.

What are some practical ideas particularly in this challenging time, that family members can do to teach kindness in their circles?

I think that this time has offered us an amazing opportunity, as crazy as that sounds. My heart goes out to all those that have been lost and I’m not saying this is a positive thing. But from every negative thing, it’s our responsibility to look for the message that we can take from it. Suddenly, from a world where we go so quick, where everything is at the speed of light, suddenly we’ve been forced to stop. We’ve been forced to slow down. We’ve been forced to stay home.

We generally can keep ourselves busy, with the busy work of life. But very often, we forget to do the hardest work, and that’s the work of the heart. It’s very easy sometimes to do kindness or to do charity for people outside of our home. But often times, we lose sight of the people who are sitting right next to us. We think we know what’s going on in their lives, but you never know what’s going on in a person’s life. We need to take the time to look inward, as opposed to just doing outward things.

Kindness isn’t about an action. It’s about a way of life. I suggest reading my book 'The Kindness Boomerang,' for practical tips on everyday kindness. But specifically to this time we're in living in, try to listen - to friends, to family, especially those within your own home. Give them your time. Everybody is experiencing these challenging times in a different way. Simply by sharing allows a person to feel that they’re not alone. To me, this is a huge act of kindness. Call or send a virtual message to someone - Ask them how they’re doing, what they need or how you can help.

How important is it to be kind to ourselves?

If you’re going to be unkind to yourself, then the kindness that you put out into the world is coming from a place of sacrifice, not from a place of abundance. And giving from sacrifice is very dangerous because if you don’t give enough to yourself and you’re giving from a place of depletion, you may very well come to resent that same giving.

That sounds crazy, but there are two types of giving in this world. There’s giving from strength and giving from weakness. From strength, this comes from a place of abundance, recognizing your own value. Understanding that but knowing your limits. Knowing that sometimes saying ‘no’ isn’t unkind, it’s necessary. When you go on an airplane, they always tell you in case of an emergency, to put your own life vest first. Now that may seem selfish, but it couldn’t be further from the truth, because if you drown, how can you possibly help somebody else?

So I say, being kind to ourselves is key. It’s not always easy, especially for those givers out there in the world. It’s probably one of the hardest things. But it’s important to set limits and boundaries for ourselves, to put aside times within our day, or within our week, that are solely for us. Because they rejuvenate us in a huge way. They put air in our life vest to become strong enough not only to lift you, but to then lift another.

Related links:

Orly's TED Talk about Kindness

Orly's TED Talk about Choices

Orly's TED Talk about the Power of Kindness

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The Boomerang Effect of Kindness

See how far an act of goodness can go [video].

It doesn't take much to smile at a stranger, say thank you to the cashier or hold the door open for someone - these small acts of kindness can brighten up anyone's day and take minimal effort. Perpetuated moments of thoughtfulness and consideration exemplify the concept of paying it forward, resulting in a ripple effect of goodwill. Created by the nonprofit  Life Vest Inside , this inspiring video demonstrates how far the power of kindness can go, in the end boomeranging back to where it began. RELATED: Happiness, the Movie  Put Your Mind to Being Kind Think Good, Speak Good, Do Good 

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This New Guinea Dog is Singing a New Tune

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Life Vest Inside – Kindness Boomerang – “One Day”

Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as its passed from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion. Gratefulness fuels the process.

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Kindness Boomerang

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Kindness Boomerang The Book

How to save the world (and yourself) through 365 daily acts., founder/ceo of life vest inside ceo kindness usa director of kindness boomerang.

Orly Wahba is an educator, speaker, entrepreneur, author and community activist passionate about inspiring and motivating people to be the best that they can be. Since her teenage years, Orly has worked extensively with tweens and teens as well as local charities in her community providing a helping hand for those who need it most.

Orly began her career in Kindness as a Middle School educator at the Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY, teaching the children to embrace unity, build their self-esteem, and use the power they have to influence the world for good. Orly is well known for incorporating and integrating ideas of kindness, love and respect in the hearts and minds of her students both in and out of the classroom setting. She is often quoted as saying, “Kindness, don’t just do it…LIVE IT!”

Yearning to make a larger impact with her philanthropic work and after having been inspired by a small sign on a plane labeled “ Life Vest Inside ” Orly founded (2011) Life Vest Inside, a non-profit organization with a mission to inspire, empower and educate people of all backgrounds to lead a life of kindness. Life Vest Inside encourages people to embrace the incredible power of giving and recognizes that in times of hardship, kindness, like a life vest, keeps the world afloat.

LVI shot to national attention when Orly’s short film Kindness Boomerang went viral, receiving more than 100 million views and coverage in media outlets such as The TODAY Show , NBC , CBS , ADWEEK , International Business Times and more. In 2013 Orly was invited to speak at TED about the Power of Kindness.

The magic that Orly spreads is undeniable. Through Life Vest Inside, kind happenings are becoming more frequent. There is a spectacular energy about Orly and if you are lucky enough to encounter the spunky, (usually) orange-clad brunette herself, she will most likely be making a chalk walk of inspiration in Times Square or giving out her famed Acts of Kindness Cards on the subway. And as Orly’s kindness mob grows by the thousands, more people are experiencing the addictiveness in the giving of kindness.

Recently, Orly was appointed as the CEO of Kindness USA . In her role as CEO, Orly has a well thought out, proven approach to “produce new units of kindness” in our society that goes well beyond inspiring people. Orly will leverage her unique expertise in applied Research & Development and innovation specifically focused on kindness, and her uncanny ability to plan, execute and transform those dreams into reality.

In fact, Orly’s organization, Life Vest Inside, has developed an effective process that: Inspires – through film and social media; Engages – in a deep, active and long-lasting manner through technology, training and worldwide events; Educates – in the classroom, the workplace, at home, and throughout the community; and Unites – training individuals from +120 countries to lead with kindness and to develop their own initiatives based on the Life Vest Inside methodology.

Orly received her BA in Film Production and English from Brooklyn College, and her MA in Jewish History from Touro College. Orly is the CEO of Kindness USA, serves on the Board of The Pay it Forward Foundation as well as the Brooklyn College Foundation.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched- they must be felt with the heart. ~Helen Keller

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ~leo buscaglia, friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life. ~dior yamasaki, all i ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart. ~tahereh mafi, anyone can hide. facing up to things, working through them, that's what makes you strong. ~sarah dessen, faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. ~martin luther king jr., the time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. ~bertrand russell, the only source of knowledge is experience. ~albert einstein, the course of true love never did run smooth. ~william shakespeare, the meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. ~carl jung, being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect, it means you've decided to look past the imperfections. ~gerard way, one of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. ~lucius annaeus seneca, and in the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take. ~anon, a man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it. ~george moore, happiness is not something readymade. it comes from your own actions. ~dalai lama, love is not to be purchased, and affection has no price. ~st. jerome, i've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. you need to be able to throw something back. ~maya angelou, what you do today is the history you make tomorrow. ~henry ford, few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. ~richard m. devos, wherever you go, go with all your heart. ~confucius.

Amanda Palmer

Orly has put together a little gift box of 365 reminders; each one a digestible, practical little to-do item that will spark a change in the world. Kindness Boomerang is a little book that will make a big change, a little bite-sized bible of reminders for those who want to stay on the path of compassion.

Bob Votruba

Found of One Million Acts of Kindness

Day by day, Orly lays out a blueprint of life for all of us. Kindness Boomerang is the foundation, and the daily actions of kindness and reflection are the brick and mortar, shaping a newly arisen creation, and who knows, possibly cultivating another wonder of the world inside you, for the benefit of mankind.

Chantel Adams

Founder/CEO Forever We, Inc

How is it possible that an idea as big as kindness could be contained in the pages of such a compact little book? Orly Wahba shares her passion for compassion in an easy-to-digest format that's doable for everybody. Her daily kindness challenges and reflections will help you open your heart, home, and community to all those who cross your path. May the Kindness Boomerang come back to you again and again!

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Life Vest Inside - Kindness Boomerang - "One Day"

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Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as its passed from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion.

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Watch how an act of kindness can spread amongst people

By William Goodman

December 22, 2011 / 4:09 PM EST / CBS News

(CBS) - We can all probably do with something nice and uplifting to brighten the day, and that is definitely how I would describe the above video. Watch how an act of kindness can spread amongst people.

The rather touching video with music by Matisyahu is entitled "Kindness Boomerang" and was posted onto YouTube by Life Vest Inside who writes:

Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as its passed from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion. Stand with us in spreading the love and repost our video on your wall! Together we can make a difference!

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Life Vest Inside: Kindness Boomerang

Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as its passed from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion. Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as its passed from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion. Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as its passed from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion.

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The Life Vest Inside Mission

To EMPOWER and UNITE the world with KINDNESS .  Life Vest Inside inspires people to recognize the potential they have to affect real and positive change in this world through kindness.

Life Vest Inside is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to spreading kindness, helping people recognize their potential, and building self-esteem. Life Vest Insides program’s, such as its kindness education curriculum and social media application , aim to inspire acts of programs, charity and human connection.

Many People lack the self-esteem necessary to cope with the challenges the world puts in front of them.  At Life Vest Inside, they help to build self-esteem in the belief that once people see the value within themselves, they will begin to see that value in others.  This behavior becomes self-perpetuating, and spurs and “upward spiral” of kindness.

That’s why we’re supporting Life Vest Inside during our Kindness Journey this year.

Meet orly wahba, the founder of life vest inside.

Founder/CEO of Life Vest Inside Director of Kindness Boomerang Orly Wahba is an educator, entrepreneur, and community activist passionate about inspiring and motivating people to be the best that they can be. For over the past ten years, Orly has worked extensively with tweens and teens as well as local charities in her community providing a helping hand for those who need it most. She has worked in conjunction with a vast array of organizations such as Chai Lifeline, Sephardic Bikur Holim, Kids Kicking Cancer and is also an executive member of the World Kindness Movement. Orly began her career in Kindness as a Middle School educator at the Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY, teaching the children to embrace unity, build their self-esteem, and use the power they have to influence the world for good. Orly is well known for incorporating and integrating ideas of kindness, love and respect in the hearts and minds of her students both in and out of the classroom setting. She is often quoted as saying, “Kindness, don’t just do it…LIVE IT!”

Yearning to make a larger impact with her philanthropic work and after having been inspired by a same sign on a plane labeled “Life Vest Inside” Orly founded (2011) Life Vest Inside, a non-profit organization with a mission to encourage people to embrace the incredible power of giving and recognize that in times of hardship,kindness, like a life vest, keeps the world afloat. LVI shot to national attention when Orly’s film Kindness Boomerang went viral, receiving more than 20 million views and coverage in media outlets such as Ad Week, IBTimes, and CBS News. The magic that Orly spreads is undeniable. Through Life Vest Inside, kind happenings are becoming more frequent. There is a spectacular energy about Orly and if you are lucky enough to encounter the spunky, (usually) orange-clad brunette herself, she will most likely be making a chalk walk of inspiration in Times Square or giving out her famed Acts of Kindness Cards on the subway. And as Orly’s kindness mob grows by the thousands, more people are experiencing the addictiveness in the giving of kindness. Orly received her BA in Film Production and English from Brooklyn College, and her MA in Jewish History from Touro College. Orly is an executive member of the World Kindness Movement.

Orly speaks about the magic of kindness at TED

Life Vest Inside creates the KIND of media that has inspired millions of people.

I believe kindness is contagious! Send me some to spread!

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Motivation Mentalist

Your Daily Dose of Motivation

Kindness Boomerang – One Day

Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as its passed from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion.

Video:  Kindness Boomerang ( lifevestinside ) Song:  One Day (Matisyahu)

Lyrics Sometimes I lay Under the moon And thank God I’m breathing Then I pray Don’t take me soon ‘Cause I’m here for a reason

Sometimes in my tears I drown But I never let it get me down So when negativity surrounds I know some day it’ll all turn around because…

All my life I’ve been waiting for I’ve been praying for For the people to say That we don’t wanna fight no more There will be no more wars And our children will play One day…One day…One day… One day…One day…One day…

It’s not about Win or lose ‘Cause we all lose When they feed on the souls of the innocent Blood-drenched pavement Keep on moving though the waters stay raging

In this maze you can lose your way (your way) It might drive you crazy but don’t let it faze you, no way (no way)

Sometimes in my tears I drown (I drown) But I never let it get me down (get me down) So when negativity surrounds (surrounds) I know some day it’ll all turn around because…

One day this all will change Treat people the same Stop with the violence Down with the hate

One day we’ll all be free And proud to be Under the same sun Singing songs of freedom like One day…One day… One day…One day…

Author: motivationmentalist

Welcome to Motivation Mentalist, a blog dedicated to inspiring and empowering individuals to achieve their goals and dreams. My name is David, and I'm the founder and writer behind this blog. As someone who has experienced the power of motivation and positive thinking firsthand, I created this platform to share my insights and help others on their journey towards personal growth and success. With a background in life coaching, I've always been passionate about personal development and inspiring others to achieve their goals and dreams. This blog is a way for me to combine my expertise and passion to create valuable content that can make a difference in people's lives. At Motivation Mentalist, you'll find a variety of content, including motivational quotes, inspiring stories, personal development tips, and more. My goal is to provide you with the tools and resources you need to overcome challenges, achieve your goals, and live a fulfilling life. I hope you find the content on this blog helpful and inspiring. If you have any questions or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to me by dropping me a comment or reach out via contact form! View all posts by motivationmentalist

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Life Vest Inside: The Kindness Boomerang Revealed (VIDEO)

Among viral videos worth watching, this one has struck a chord in the holiday season -- revealing how an act of kindness can spread from one person to another.

Highlighted by music from Matisyahu titled Kindness Boomerang, the video illustrating how kindness can be spread among people was posted by the non-profit Life Vest Inside.

Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as its passed from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion. Stand with us in spreading the love and repost our video on your wall! Together we can make a difference!

Life Vest Inside believes kindness is a universal language that has tremendous uplifting power. Life Vest Inside is based on the philosophy that increasing kindness in society will lead to more connectedness and a better, happier world, according to the agency's Web site.

See the video below, which has more than 700,000 views already.

© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.

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Bring Kindness to the Classroom with our Educational Curriculum

Kindness in the classroom.

A unique SEL (Social Emotional Learning) curriculum designed to easily implement the themes of kindness, compassion and empathy directly into existing school curricula . With one unit of study for grades K-5, each unit is made up of 6 lessons, one building on the next.

Our Impact to Date

Educational stakeholders.

Curriculums in Use

Did you know?

Happier children have greater academic success.

Students who performed acts of kindness with their peers, families and in the community had greater academic success than those who simply recorded seeing acts of kindness over a span of three months (Price-Mitchell, 2013).

Building self-value circumvents depression.

An estimated 2 million 12- to 17-year-olds experience clinical depression annually, and Reivich and Gillham (2009) have found that building resilience in younger children can help thwart depression before it starts.

More kindness = better life.

Experiencing and performing acts of kindness provide an increased sense of self-worth, greater happiness, and optimism, as well as a decrease in feelings of helplessness and depression, is achieved (Luk, 2001).

Want to read more positive and negative statistics about kindness?

Some testimonials, what educators are saying.

"The flexibility embedded in the lesson allows teachers to differentiate instruction to address children's strengths, interests and needs, allowing great opportunities for self-expression and individualization."

“The organization of each Unit’s lesson plans provide an ease with which lessons are understood and can be implemented, offering a clear connection in how lessons and Units build upon one another.”

"I am a mom to 10 year old boy/girl twins and Life Vest Inside has changed the trajectory of their life. I know that they are kinder, more thoughtful people because of this organization.”

When educating the mind of our youth, we must not forget to educate their HEARTS

Our Curriculum

Life Vest Inside works to cultivate the awareness that children can affect real and positive change in the people around them, simply by ‘living kindness:’ by embodying empathy and compassion in our day-to-day lives. Through research and development, Life Vest Inside has designed the Kindness Curriculum to intentionally align with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Bloom’s Taxonomy to promote kindness, tolerance, and social interaction to our children.

The curriculum currently includes Units of Study from Kindergarten through Fifth grade. The curriculum is unique in that it functions as a seamless curriculum to complement and enhance instruction for teachers, unlike “push-in” curricula, requiring teachers to “make time” within a school day to accommodate additional learning objectives not reflected in the CCSS.

Each Unit, designed by experts in the field of education, includes six lessons. Each Unit builds upon the prior, so by the end of Fifth grade, students will have received almost forty lessons to enhance their understanding of, and ability to, think critically about ways to generate more kindness on an individual and global level.

Educational Findings

The LVI Kindness Curriculum provides a framework for scaffolding immersive experiences using critical thinking skills focused on kindness with the goal of benefiting not only the student and teacher, but also the community. Research studies on the implementation of curricula rooted in kindness, aligned with the CCSS and linked to Bloom’s Taxonomy are currently not available. Thus, this curriculum, and the research conducted throughout its design and implementation, provides fertile ground for developing a students’ and teachers’ school experiences, beyond the four walls of the classroom to grow kindness individually and globally.

Research conducted with over 300 educational stakeholders, throughout the design and inclusion of the LVI Kindness Curriculum revealed 5 significant themes leaving the LVI curriculum a one-of-a-kind experiences for teachers and students.

Our Philosophy

Life Vest Inside wishes to transform the way people see themselves and interact within society by changing the way we educate and prepare educators. Transformation is not about doing away with our educational system but shifting the way we deliver the information.

The Life Vest Inside Educational Curriculum, built upon character development and core values, will connect students’ school learning seamlessly to “real life” learning based upon the guiding tenets of 1) kindness, 2) compassion, and 3) empathy.

• 77% of students have admitted to being the victim of physical, verbal, or cyber bullying
• 1 out of every 4 children will be bullied at some point. (American Justice Department)
• Adults who were bullied as teens have higher levels of depression and poorer self-esteem than other adults
• 30% of bullied students reported depression.
• 11% reported serious thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts
• 19% of those who frequently bullied others reported experiencing depression
• 8% reported suicidal thoughts or attempts

The Solution

• Fostering and promoting empathy in children and adolescents could relate to the development of pro-social behavior and to the prevention of aggressive behavior.
• Kids with high levels of empathic concern tended to view bullying as negative and therefore bullied others less.
• Among the six points of the Character Education Partnership is to “Replace Current Beliefs or Behavior: Teach bullies how to act differently—how to be KIND. Develop empathy, conscience, and self-control (anger management) in bullies.

What's Next?

Curriculum enquiry, to inquire about the lvi curriculum, please complete the form below and our director of education will contact you..

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