“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
Can you imagine a world where kindness was the guiding principle? Kindness arises with an intention to be kind followed by a conscious choice to act. In a study at Stanford University, researchers delivered an 11 minute “loving kindness” exercise to students and discovered that they rated strangers as “kinder” and more similar to themselves than those not given the exercise.
Every day we can choose to relate to others from positions of anger, greed, and hatred or from kindness and compassion. Becoming aware of how you treat yourself is key to seeing how you relate to others. It is important to balance kind to yourself with kindness to others.
I agree with His Holiness the Dalai Lama: “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Studies confirm that compassion towards self and others is a key tool for happiness.
There is a World Kindness Movement that started in Japan. “The purpose of World Kindness Day is to look beyond ourselves, beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, our religion and realize we are citizens of the world. As world citizens we have a commonality, and must realize that if progress is to be made in human relations and endeavors, if we are to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence, we must focus on what we have in common.”
Kindness….
- Gives you a natural high by releasing endorphins
- Reduces stress and feelings of depression
- Increases ones sense of self-worth
- Increases happiness and feelings of well being
- Dissipates feelings of anger
- Can decrease awareness and intensity of physical pain
- Connects us with others
Have you had a kindness shown to you? Pass it on…..
