Why it's achingly cool to be kind
Standing in a lift at work, I see a harassed woman running into the building juggling her coffee, bags and phone.
In the past, I would have discreetly pressed the ‘doors close’ button while pretending I hadn’t see her – something I used to do every morning.
But instead, today I hold the doors open, and smile as she thanks me profusely. It may not sound much.
But I’m just one of a burgeoning number of people around the world practising what’s being called ‘conscious kindness’ – predicted to be one of the biggest social trends of 2016.
Some experts believe that the catalyst for the trend is partly coming from Millennials’ outlook on the world. ‘Their values are very different to the generations that have gone before,’ explains Carla Buzasi, global chief content officer at trend forecaster WGSN.