It’s The Little Things That Count
Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist and professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. His book Give & Take was extremely validating. If you haven’t read it, then you really should. At the very least follow him on Instagram. He’s always posting little nuggets that make you think. Distilling down complicated findings or truths for everyone to understand. The other day he posted something that resonated with us. Particularly at Penny Post.
The research he cites is “Undervaluing the positive impact of kindness starts early” (Echelbarger & Epley). You can find the abstract online, but essentially it tells us that people underestimate how meaningful small acts of kindness are. So much so that they don’t do them. What does it mean to you to get a quick text out of the blue from a friend saying they saw something that reminded them of you? Or what it meant to me one Christmas when the lady in front of me bought my Chipotle? Or what it might mean to your friend to get a card that you had to send her because you knew it would make her laugh? It makes someone’s day. It makes them feel seen in a world where anonymous interactions on the web are the norm.
Two weeks ago, I told you our Why is to create spaces where people feel like they belong. This week I want to talk about one of our core values: Connection. It’s so important in this digital day and age. Anyone can send a text on someone’s birthday, but a card is so much more meaningful. I love it when someone from out of town buys something for a friend. How much more special is a gift their friend bought for them while on vacation or a work trip? Both stores are designed to create connections. Penny Post a little more literally than Red Barn Mercantile, but still the same. A note to a friend or a birthday card for a loved one is that little kindness that Adam Grant mentioned. Something that keeps you connected no matter distance or time.
The internet has made it easier and yet harder than ever to connect with people. My hope for all of us is that we remember any act of kindness at any time is essential to the human condition and that we don’t shrink from sharing love or making a lasting connection with our fellow human beings.
