Inspirational People: Leon Logothetis

In both our work and in volunteering, we have seen both the most giving and the most greedy of people.

Watching The Kindness Diaries on Netflix reminded me that thankfully, there is more good in the world than not – and it starts with us to keep kindness going. We honestly get so down when we go out of our way for people, and they take it for granted – or expect more and more. But Leon Logothetis, the creator of The Kindness Diaries, reminded us that if you keep putting kindness first, it becomes contagious and others want to help too. Instead of stepping back or ignoring our surroundings, we just have to be present and open.0

Leon travels the world with no money, relying on the kindness of others, and the stories of those he meets along the way. And the stories is the other part: we are humans, we are made of stories. Stories make us who we are. This is nothing to be ashamed of – our stories are our experience, our being. And I am so inspired by Leon’s quest in listening to others and their stories. In design, it is the stories behind each person and each business that make them unique – but they often get hidden away in this need to appear “corporate” or “professional”. But we are human, we connect to stories.

The Kindness Diaries is nothing without the stories of the people in the series. It would be meaningless without the stories behind the kind gestures, understanding where the kindness came from. And that’s the gem – businesses with stories have more meaning. They have more reason for people to connect with them, because there’s something to relate to, or feel something for.

We just need to encourage more kindness in businesses. Put kindness first, whether you’re on your own or a part of a large corporate structure. Kindness starts with us. Kindness starts with you.