It’s not easy to be kind.

Especially when it ISN’T easy to determine how the people around you might “take” to your kindness. We have a lot of polarization in the world, hurt people looking to hurt people.

But on this eve of World Kindness Day all over the world, I love this brilliant idea I picked up from Dan Pink’s Pinkcast.

It’s the 10-5 rule.

When you are ten feet away from someone, look them in the eye and smile. When you are five feet away from someone, look them in the eye, smile, and say hello.

In Dan’s Pinkcast, he interviews an author who speaks of a health workplace that, by merely initiating the 10-5 rule, saw a better work environment, increased satisfaction in patients, and all around happier employees.

Imagine if we instigated the 10-5 rule in our own workplaces? At the mall? In the grocery store? At the gas station? At church? At school?

I’m not talking about being unsafe or risky. I’m just talking about being friendly to other humans who might be struggling just like you are.

Once, I said hello to another teacher in the hallway. She told me I was the first person to say hello to her that day. Now, I’m sure I’ve messed up before and missed a perfect opportunity to say hello. I’m positive, in fact.

But it was the end of the day. And no one had said hello to her.

We are caught up in “all the things” and are missing the chance to maybe make someone else’s day just a tad bit better.

Just try it. It can’t hurt anything.