Does it Cost Anything to Be Kind?
Be kind. To yourself, to others whether they are family, friend, or random stranger.
The world could use more kindness.
I think one of the reasons so many people feel so defeated is because we are not only inundated by tremendous amounts of negativity, but also awful people. So many people doing such terrible things, whether great or small. A total lack of decency, let alone empathy or sympathy or any amount of kindness pervades too much of the world around us.
Be kind. Let that guy get in front of you on the road. Hold open that door. Smile at a total stranger. Help that person change their tire. Pay for the coffee for the guy behind you in the drive-through. Do something with zero expectation of reward, acknowledgement, or reciprocation – just because you desire to be kind.
An act of kindness tends to beget kindness. Like attracts like. Consciousness creates reality. We act more kind, we get more in the world at large.
While it is super important to be kind to others…it is also hugely important to be kind to yourself.
We are frequently pretty unkind to ourselves. We do not treat our bodies well, feeding them crappy food and insufficient exercise. I think we tend to get insufficient rest, not just in the form of sleep but in de-stressing and relaxing ourselves. The first person to berate us is usually ourselves, too.
When we tend to be unkind to even ourselves, is it any wonder we have trouble showing kindness to anyone else?
It costs us nothing to be kind. Kindness generates positivity, and I think everyone would agree more positivity in this world could change it for the better.
Be kind in the now
Are you thinking less-than-nice thoughts about yourself? Do you believe you might be unworthy and undeserving of…whatever? Do you harbor any self-doubt about who you are and the life you are living?
Part of being here for one another, and available to help, is recognizing that we are all deserving of kindness. Everyone is deserving of kindness. And that begins with you.
Yes, there are some pretty terrible people out there. Do they deserve kindness, too? Overall, yes, but realistically, this can be super-challenging. Sometimes, if you cannot be kind, be indifferent or avoid them in whatever way you can. This might mean reading/watching less news media for the overarching worldview stuff; or spending less time around certain people on a more personal level.
One good way to create more positivity in this world is to do all that we can to express more kindness in our lives. This can be easily shared, spread, and paid forward at no cost to any of us, but with definite gain from it.
What do we gain? Feeling better, and creating some more positivity.
I think it is worthwhile to be kind.
Finding positivity is not hard, but it does require action.
Knowing that being kind, whether to ourselves, friends, or total strangers, carries no cost to us – we can show more kindness to change the world for the better. When we are kind, we find that it makes us feel good, and when we feel good we ultimately empower ourselves. When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings. We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings. When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for. Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude. Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.
This is the two-hundred and twenty-sixth+ entry of my Positivity series. It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.
After more than 6 years of weekly blogging, I have launched a Patreon to garner support for these works, and more.
