How To Be A Kinder Version Of Yourself — In Just 12 Steps

It's hard enough to remember to smile every once in a while, let alone stay positive when someone tells you to "go fuck yourself." But that's exactly what designers Jessica Walsh and Timothy Goodman did for a whole year in their new project 12 Kinds Of Kindness, which launched today.

Armed with a self-designed, 12-step program, the pair (who previously brought us 40 Days of Dating) embarked on a mission to be kinder to others — and themselves. The pair will be posting video updates and personal essays from now until February 11.

In the trailer above, Walsh and Goodman smile for eight hours straight, leave wallets on the street for strangers to grab, and buy shots for an entire bar. Some may call these gestures over-the-top, but that's the point: They remind the rest of us that smaller, more realistic displays of kindness can be done. Sure, you may not be into the idea of leaving your wallet on a park bench, but you might be able to offer a stranger change every so often.

The pair makes sure to include steps among the 12 that focus on self-improvement, too. Goodman strives to connect with his estranged father, and Walsh confronts her anxieties about becoming a mother. While it can be awkward offering to help a total stranger, it can feel downright impossible to help yourself. It's in taking on these challenges that Walsh and Goodman prove that true kindness includes being kind to yourself.

Check out the trailer above — and click through to the 12 Kinds of Kindness site to follow their journey. We'll be doing the same.


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