Last Thursday morning, I woke before my alarm and jumped out of bed with a massive smile because I knew I was about to deliver an act that was going to kick off a bunch of strangers days with a smile. I was ready to make Thursday my own and in the process, give a couple of strangers a leg up to do the same thing.
Before I knew it, my AIME cape was on and I was somewhat moonwalking (it probably didn’t look like it.. but it certainly felt like it) down Fitzroy Street in St Kilda, Melbourne. I walked into my local cafe and ordered a coffee. The lovely lady on the other side of the counter serving me was visibly half asleep – but not for long.
I paid for my coffee with a $50 note and politely asked that the change be used to pay for the next 15 or so coffee orders. She was suddenly awake, really confused and smiling from ear to ear.
“That’s actually one of the craziest but nicest things i’ve ever seen” she said, as I quickly took a few steps out of the way so the next couple of punters could walk through the door and order their coffees, without knowing I was the stranger that had paid for them.
I went and stood next to the barista and curiously watched the next couple of minutes with intrigue as my coffee was getting whipped together. The lady behind the counter was figuratively bouncing off the walls with anticipation and excitement. She couldn’t wait to tell the next customer that his coffee had already been paid for, it was a sight that I’ll never forget. Fortunately, I was able to witness two strangers order coffees and see the impact that a random act of kindness could have on their lives. Both of them were told that their orders had been covered by a “young gentleman who is hoping to make a couple of people smile by providing a random act of kindness. Lucky you, have a fantastic day” she said. The look on their faces were priceless.
That’s the thing about making others smile – you feel absolutely incredible and everybody wins. I shared the whole story on social media because I wanted to see if my act of kindness could spark a ripple effect and spur others to be kind to one another.
By 9am, I had close to 100 people message me from across Australia and around the world. The ripple effect was suddenly in play and people we’re committing to providing services for others around them.
Rhian Miller, our Centre Manager in South Australia, quickly picked up the baton and mirrored the kindness at her local university cafe. Check the owners response below…
You’re probably wondering why I did this… it’s simple. We’re better together and I want to live in a world that isn’t completely transactional; a world where people are happy to provide services for one another.
For the next 48 hours, AIME is going to be leading a movement of kindness and we’d love for you to join us. We’ll be sharing these moments of kindness on our Instagram handles using the hashtag #ItsCoolToBeKind.
How are you going to harness your power to make somebody else’s day? How many people are you going to impact?
We can all remember those ‘unforgettable strangers’. This is your time to be one of them.
Ben Abbatangelo
AIME Deputy CEO 😊
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