The Kindness Challenge

Take The Kindness Challenge

 

Kindness is love in action.

Your generous nature to be kind is a practice ~ an ever evolving means of helping yourself in the beauty of growth – of witnessing your possibility – and of reuniting with what you are ever capable of.

 

Read on or Listen to the Audio here:

 

My client Rosa had been reflecting upon some of the changes that she sought to make with my help.  ~ Kindness was first on the list.

Kindness as a life practice ~ as a way of treating others and yourself ~ is important as an overarching theme that we all need to live from.

 

How do you practice kindness amidst the daily life challenges that throw you out of balance?

How can you practice kindness even when you feel anxious, stressed, angry, or hurt?

Can kindness be universal as a life teaching and a daily practice that we all purposefully uphold?

Is kindness one of the measures of universal peace?

And how does kindness as love in action help you deepen your self-esteem and self-worth?

 

Rosa decided that it would be kindness shown more frequently with her spouse ~ kindness in her words and in her tone ~ kindness like how she spoke and behaved early in their relationship and in the distant but all too sweet memories of when life seemed simpler ~ and as she and her partner were more attentive to one another ~ when they made more time for each other and when there was no water under the bridge – that is, no distant reminders of past hurts or heartbreak.

 

How do we make kindness more important in what we teach our children?

How do we better model kindness as a life practice? ~ because to be kind is to feel authentic happiness ~ and with kindness, the realization that we are the creators of our present moments.

Deliberate kindness is one certain way to live and breathe pure happiness and love.

 

What happens in our love relationships and with any of our loved ones when we make it easy to be short tempered, to take advantage of others’ good nature ~ and their all-encompassing love of us?

What if we could loyally demonstrate kindness first because, after all – it is kindness that we seek to be as who we truly are.

Kindness isn’t something that we should have to practice and get good at… or is it?

 

 

So much of who you are in all of your relationships, in your temperament, your beliefs, your values ~ are learned early.

By the time that you are dating and in a love relationship, your character, personality, your temperament and how you deal with the everyday situations of life that provoke a range of emotions are well ingrained ~ and masterfully concealed as ‘automatic’.

Your actions and reactions are to a large degree – automated. They exist as the result of your thoughts and perceptions ~ and often before you realize what you have just said or done that can be less kind.

 

To talk about kindness IS to admit that we all can be less than kind.

We can be impatient, short tempered, at times angered and dismissive with those with whom we love the most.

Can we admit when our words and actions create hurts and deep wounds in our relationships?

 

Depending on what you’re earliest teachings have been and the values that you hold, kindness may be something that takes effort or it may be an easy outpouring of who you have always been.

When you feel unsettled, stressed, unhappy ~ when you have unrelenting demands placed upon you, if you are hurt or angry, if you feel exposed and vulnerable ~ your dark side ~ the part of you that is fueled by unwavering emotion and a lack of control surfaces.

This is the part of each one of that we would rather keep hidden.

Consider kindness as a solution ~ as a path to calm, goodness, and to reclaim in those challenging moments what is going to be your best choice.

 

 

The question is, how important is it to you to be kind as your driving, predominant nature – your instinctive response, even in difficult moments?

Is kindness an aspect of your personal evolution?

Would you like to master the art of kindness as what you are and live, through and through, even as you will have moments in which you struggle to live beyond your human nature and as your spiritual self?

 

How each one of us reacts in stressful and difficult situations is not what defines us.

What defines you is your choice to live in kindness as a fundamental aspect of your human experience.

 

To practice kindness first unto yourself means to soften your words, to pay more attention and care to what you tell yourself  because your thoughts are going to determine how you feel and the response that occurs next.

What defines you is your moment by moment choices and the person that you decide to be in each of the moments of your life. 

 

Kindness is certainly a calling towards this.

 

Most of the time we do aim for kindness. It feels natural to do so and it allows us to be happier in our relationships and in how we think and feel about our self.

Our relationships thrive when we are kind – especially in the face of stress, uncertainty, and crisis.

 

You feel the calm certainty of your kind actions as proud moments that you have co-created, navigated with ease in part because you have taken that moment or two to pause, to self-regulate, to exhale, to smile, to be grateful that for whatever stressors you face.

Nothing can take away the beauty of life’s moments here and now that you can live.

Eternal kindness begins with a conscious choice.

Like so many other positive actions that you choose for yourself, perpetual kindness begins with the decision to be different ~ to live knowing that you are a kind person.

To live kind must be what you demonstrate first and consistently.

I invite you to make a commitment – a challenge – to practice enduring kindness for the next 30 days.

If you really want to witness firsthand the power of kindness as love in action, try this.

Let kindness overshadow the examples of how you do not wish to be.

In addition to the random acts of kindness that you grace others with, begin this practice as you first consider the places in your life where you have been less kind.

To be kind as a fundamental nature of your being begins where kindness is currently absent.

Begin like Rosa did with an honest examination of where in her life she was less kind, unkind and to then decide how she would be in future moments that were similar.

Rosa was honest to admit that sometimes her sarcasm would be a passive-aggressive means of making a point when she was displeased with her husband.

This was clearly unkind and it was also hurtful.

Rather than sarcasm to get a point across, Rosa realized a kind approach would be far more effective.

She would speak directly to whatever bothered her and ask for what she needed using, “Could you please….” and “When this happens, I feel…” and “When you say or do this, I am…”

This opened a dialogue built upon trust and understanding and the certainty of conversation and effective communication.

Where in your life could kindness replace what you currently say and do?

Something that can help you be far more aware and conscious of your words and actions… imagine that all of the world can see you at that moment.

How do you wish to be?

 

When we are able to be kind in the face of stress, uncertainty and crisis, we feel the calm of our kind words and actions as proud moments that we have co-created and in so doing, likely we have set in motion kindness reciprocated.

Kindness is felt as love.

It is experienced most readily as care, concern, interest, feelings of importance, gratitude and other measures that remind you of the many blessings you have in life including the generous gifts of others who love and appreciate you.

Kindness also holds the certainty of what comes next.

Any of your words and actions delivered with genuine kindness will always soften a potential disagreement with the respectful actions of kind words spoken in and of the desire to be loving and you role model the positive expressions of who and what you are ~ and to live with kindness and compassion ~ even as another may be struggling to do the same.

Your kindness reflects upon who you are.

 

Kindness is a direct outpouring of what you stand for.

Acts of kindness model a path of greater ease towards what you desire most.

Think of it like this ~ others are always going to respond better to kindness.

Kindness is love transmuted through human connection, comfort, trust and the respectful observance of all living beings.

Rosa thought for a time of our conversation and the words which would offer her a new perspective ~ how kindness was so much more than just a choice.

For kindness to prevail in all situations in spite of difficult moments, she would need to be present in her heart at all times.

Present to the desire to be kind first even as she would likely feel frustrated with her husband at times, annoyed with her boss, and impatient with her young child.

Kindness is a facet of self-control ~ of choosing in any given moment what is most important and in being loyal to that which will best portray how you seek to be.

 

Take the kindness challenge with me by being kind and by noting the places where your kindness is absent.

Decide how you will make kindness a first priority.

Share with me your success moments and what you discover about yourself that will help you to be kindness as love.

You can share your comments and feedback with me here or write to me at askdorothy@dorothyzennuriyejuno.com.

 

Thank you so much for listening.

Namaste ~

 

 

 

More Kindness, More Love…