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What if . . . .
We could change the world and make it a better place to live. How can we do that?
I think there are many ways we can make the world a better place and if you follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and all the social media I am on you know how frequently I encourage people to BE KIND. If we will take time to pause each day and focus on kindness and then practice it – be it! After all, don’t we want people to treat us in a kind manner? I know that I do.
What are some of the ways we can be kind? Well, there are so many, but I’ll offer a few suggestions here:
- Treat your family with kindness – Our families often get the brunt of our frustration. We don’t take time to explain to them how we are feeling and why what they are doing is causing us to feel more frustrated. I had that situation recently when I was babysitting for two of my grandchildren. The youngest one went to bed easily and joyfully. When it came time for the 5 year old to go to bed, it was a more challenging experience; similar to many experiences with a 5 year old. I was experiencing some difficulty with my contacts which caused a lot of pain in one of my eyes– hence it amped up my ability to become frustrated quickly. So, as the 5 year old kept expressing his desire to stay up and I was telling him it was bedtime, thankfully, my intuition kicked in – tell him that you feel frustrated because your eye hurts really bad – so I did. I immediately felt better and less frustrated. I think he understood. I let him sleep where he wanted, told him I was sorry for being frustrated with him and told him that I loved him very much.
- Say kind words – This sounds so simple doesn’t it? But, similar to the quick story above, most of us stay focused on what is important to us. We don’t realize that sometimes we are not saying kind things to others. Giving people compliments with genuine appreciation allows them to feel your kind words.
- Treat everyone with respect – Now some of you will say, “there are some people who do not deserve my respect.” At one time I had the same thinking. But, as I have practiced kindness more frequently, I realize when I am respectful of everyone and treat them and talk to them with kindness I feel better. Hopefully, they will as well. Another realization I have had is that those who are being rude or whatever their “bad behavior” is are usually in the highest need of kindness and respect.
We can change the world on a moment by moment basis by practicing kindness moment by moment. You can start now.
Once I discovered that I was creating a speech / presentation and book on the topic of the power of your words, I think I then became a pregnant elephant who carries their baby for several years. It came down to the fact that I had to listen to my own message about letting go of the negative mind chatter and believe that this book was meant to be – and I am only the messenger. To learn more about Margaret visit
www.margaretmartin.comhttp://www.margaretmartin.com
www.margaretmartin.comhttp://www.margaretmartin.com
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