Be a Little Kinder
“Be a Little Kinder” It’s a sign on a lawn I pass when I’m out walking my dog. Every time I read it, I’m silently shouting “YES!!!!” in my head. Be a little kinder!
It seems silly doesn’t it? That in this day and age we need to be reminded to be kind to others? Isn’t that one of the rules of life that have been programmed in you since a child? Treat everyone else as you would like to be treated.
I’ve always been a firm believer in that it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. ~ Deborah Cherrey
You do not need to yell, scream, or berate someone in order to get your point across. Any message can be conveyed with tact, consideration and sensitivity. You can have a strong conviction while participating in a very cordial discussion. Which has the better outcome? I would say the latter. Anytime I’ve yelled at my kids to clean their rooms or pick up after themselves generally only leads to arguments and frustration (for me). When I politely ask them to clean their rooms, the outcome is always more positive and there are greater chances of them actually completing the task.
We don’t walk in anyone else’s shoes. We don’t know what is happening in anyone else’s lives at any given moment. The rude waiter was just dumped by his girlfriend. The lady at the grocery store just found out her husband is terminally ill. The person that cut you off in traffic is on their way to the emergency room. Certainly with all that Is happening in the world, we don’t know the mental state or current struggles of anyone else. It would be incredibly ignorant to believe that we do. Even if you knew the story, would it change the way you treat someone? Wouldn’t the world be a miraculous place if we would just be kind anyway……regardless of circumstances?
“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change” ~ Author Unknown
What’s the cost of being kind to someone? Absolutely nothing.
In fact, the benefits of being kind to someone are plenty. Not only will it boost your immune system, it will also improve your mood and the oxytocin, your brain’s feel good hormone. Your kindness to someone else may encourage or prompt them to be kind to another, causing a ripple effect and a greater sense of community and positivity. There’s the adage quote “what you reap is what you sow”. Your future consequences are dictated by your present actions. It might not happen today or tomorrow, but the kindness you extend to others today will always come back to you tenfold.
Be a little kinder……today…..and everyday!
Your best life all begins with you!
