Those with a true heart of gold are few and far between.
Many like to play pretend and portray themselves as kind and dutiful and selfless, when in fact they’re usually just want to make you like them.
Or get them to do something for you.
When you do find such a rare individual with a genuinely kind and pure heart, hold on to them tightly.
They’re often overlooked as never shouting about their good deeds from the rooftops (which generally distinguishes them out from the fake and deceitful impersonators out there).
These 12 following behaviors more those with a genuinely good heart easier to spot, and will help you figure out who really has good intentions:
1) They just get you
You can’t have a good heart without being incredibly empathetic.
By that, I mean being able to not just acknowledge when someone else is having a hard time, but to actually cry their tears or share in their laughter.
Those with a truly good heart care so much for the feelings of others.
They are genuinely moved by displays of distress or delight and are able to connect with you on a deeper level owing to their ability to meet your energy and reflect it.
2) They are often selfless
I’m a people-pleaser (albeit a recovering/work-in-progress people-pleaser).
I would say I have a good heart, but equally that many of the actions I perform are to try and make people like me, as pitiful as that might sound.
People with a genuinely good and pure heart are selfless.
However, this comes not purely from this desire to win love and affection to fill some gaping hole within them, but rather because they genuinely want to help those around them.
Even if it comes at a cost to themselves.
You know how some friends will frown and politely decline should you ask them to help you out.
Maybe you ask if they can pick up your medication at a time that seems mildly inconvenient for them, or help you storm the houses of law-makers and help fight for your rights.
“Oh, Sunday at 7am? You know how much I need my weekend sleep…have fun though!”
No, the good-hearted will be right there with you – even if it means giving up things they consider important to their own well-being and sacrificing that beauty sleep.
3) They give listening their all
With the modern world vying so hard for our attention, it’s a rarity to find someone who commits 100% to listening to what you have to say.
But those with a good heart and pure intentions are the greatest of listeners.
Employing active listening skills (which you should probably familiarize with if you’re not already aware), these tender souls tend to excel at making you feel well and truly heard.
They don’t interrupt nor let their attention drift off, but give you their full focus.
Oftentimes, they’ll also paraphrase back to you what you said with open-ended questions to show that they hear you, they understand, and they care.
4) They approach others with an open heart
And an equally open mind.
How can you learn more about the world and embrace the abundance that human life has to offer if you live closed off within a small-minded bubble?
Hence, good-hearted people are also thoughtful and welcoming to new ideas and perspectives.
Their empathy allows them to understand that everyone has walked their own individual path and brings their own emotions, feelings, and in some cases, baggage.
Therefore, they welcome all perspectives and insights and are never the one to swoop in, cut someone off, and tell them that they’re wrong for their beliefs or opinions.
5) They don’t judge
An extension of that open-mindedness is that truly good-hearted people never judge you.
Not for the color of your skin nor the family in which you grew up in.
Nor where you were born or what school you went to.
Good-hearted souls care little for the past details which others might choose to judge or categorize you by.
And they’ll certainly never judge you for these characteristics or details that many others will meet with a side-eye and a frown.
6) They’ll take secrets to their grave
Unless of course you impart with them that you’re in some form of immediate danger.
That’s probably the only case wherein you’ll find a truly good-hearted person breaking an oath and not staying true to their word.
For the rest, they will protect your secrets and the information you decide to share with them with their lives.
You’ll never find them partaking in petty gossip, and certainly never as the source of rumour spreading or ill-will.
7) They can get anyone to smile
Even in the darkest of moments.
Good-hearted people are great at lifting spirits and dusting the cobwebs out of gloomy and desolate souls.
Whether it’s cracking jokes, going in for a sly tickle, or tossing a cute baby pug into your lap…
They’ll have you smiling in no time, even in the most despondent of periods.
8) They love random acts of kindness
With no ulterior purpose, no motive, and no desire to seem holy and selfless.
No, those with a genuinely good heart engage in good deeds without second thought and on a daily basis.
They pay for the coffee of those behind them.
They help a struggling mother carry a pram up the subway stairs.
They drop a note into the hand of someone homeless and in need.
These deeds come without hesitation as they know that in performing small acts, they can have a big difference.
9) They don’t let their jealousy get the better of them
Good hearted people might still encounter the twinge of envy you feel when you see a friend streaking the corporate ladder, or bringing home a new designer car.
Your life might be good, but seeing someone soaring up into personal or professional success can leave you feeling like your own wins aren’t quite good enough.
But these good-hearted individuals aren’t the type to stray into petty comments or start with low blows as means to make themselves feel better about someone else’s success.
They will always bury any internal resentment and will make sure you feel valued and appreciated.
Most of the time, they don’t even feel any resentment.
The purest amongst us feel only pure joy in watching others succeed.
10) Their happiness isn’t defined by possessions or money
Having an expensive car or a designer bag isn’t the element which brings joy to these good-hearted individuals.
Money helps.
Especially as money can bring more time wealth or time richness (the ability to spend your time as you wish and not need to work to bring home the bread).
In this sense, more money can also help the good-hearted to spend more time doing good deeds.
However, it does not dictate their happiness nor their nature.
They prefer quality time over expensive gifts and attain far more fulfilment from quality relationships and wholesome interactions than material possessions.
11) They give without expecting anything in return
Many of our interactions are nowadays conducted with ulterior transactional means.
You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
We perform acts of service or help people out but then get very frustrated should they not offer up the same diligence in return.
And of course, if you’re always the one giving and never getting, you should probably assess the quality of your relationships.
But for the most part, the genuinely good-hearted will perform these acts of kindness and help others without this expectation of ‘an eye for an eye’.
You won’t catch them chasing you weeks later, stomping their feet and demanding you perform an errand they need help with, just because they did X, Y and Z for you.
12) They’re welcoming
In the same way that good-hearted people give without expecting, they also do not require their trust or respect to be earned to welcome a newcomer.
They bestow this respect to everyone, regardless of past history or friendship status.
So in a room full of strangers, if you’re feeling a little awkward, a little lonely, you’ll probably find a bright and warm presence soon at your side.
Good-hearted people have a six-sense for detecting when someone’s feeling low or out of place and are very generous when it comes to making everyone feel included.
How can I make my heart good?
Some people are naturally good-hearted, pure souls.
For others, it takes learning.
Sometimes, this means a big breakdown.
Perhaps a traumatic event or some intervention which leads to the realization that morals need to be improved and they need to do more for the world around them.
Whether you fall into the category of those gifted with a good heart or are trying to become better, there are things you can learn from this list.
Strive to help others, open your heart to the diversity of experiences and beliefs people carry, and treat everyone with kindness.
A good heart attracts the same positive energy in return and does so much in helping to change the world for the better.
