The Kindness Box

[Geoff-Allen]

Why You Should Be Kind to Difficult People

I often see memes on Facebook and blog posts that advise you to stay away from negative people, remove difficult people from your life, and surround yourself with happy people.

I can understand this perspective. It’s encouraging and uplifting to be around positive people. But still, I find it limiting.

Isn’t it self-centered to create your “happy bubble” and attempt to forget the rest of the world?

Even if you’d like to, it’s not possible to eliminate every single “negative” person from your life. Even if you could, it wouldn’t bring you genuine, lasting happiness. True happiness comes from developing the capacity to go beyond pettiness, preferences, and personal desires.

• How will you grow your love and compassion if there’s no one that rubs you the wrong way?
• How will you learn to set healthy boundaries if there’s no one pushing your limits?
• How will you develop patience if there’s no one that gets your goat?

Why You Should Be Kind to Difficult People — Always Well Within

Updated: November 28, 2021 I often see memes on Facebook and blog posts that advise you to stay away from negative people, remove difficult people from your life, and surround yourself with happy people. I can understand this perspective. It’s encouraging and uplifting to be around positive peopl

www.alwayswellwithin.com

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Quotes about giving - over 1000 in fact! -

“Love your neighbor, even the ones who do not show you the same courtesy. You can’t expect to receive love if you’re selective and not really willing to give it. What you put into the world, you will indeed get back, even if it’s not from the person you’re expecting it to be.”

Alexandra Elle, Words from a Wanderer

“Don't wait for other people to be loving, giving, compassionate, grateful, forgiving, generous, or friendly ... lead the way!”

Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

“Bravery is the choice to show up and listen to another person, be it a loved one or perceived foe, even when it is uncomfortable, painful, or the last thing you want to do.”

Alaric Hutchinson

“How would your life be different if you decided to give freely, love fully, and play feverously? Let today be the day. You free yourself from the conditioned rules that limit your happiness and dilute the beautiful life experience. Have fun. Give - Love - Play!”

Steve Maraboli, The Power Of One

Giving Quotes (1047 quotes)

1047 quotes have been tagged as giving: Roy T. Bennett: ‘Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving ...

www.goodreads.com

Enjoy your browsing!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Ways to Be a Nicer Person

Every time you do something nice for someone—whether it's holding the door open or buying a stranger a cup of coffee—you are spreading kindness and making the world a little bit brighter. Even internally, staying positive and treating both yourself and others with compassion goes a long way. So there's no time like the present to start making small but effective changes in your daily life to better yourself and the world around you. And if you're not sure where to start, we're here to help. We consulted top mental health experts and life coaches from across the country to learn the easiest ways to be nicer to everyone in your life… starting right now!

23 Ways to Be a Nicer Person, According to Mental Health Experts

These expert-backed tips will help you kick up the kindness in no time.

bestlifeonline.com

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Keys to Helping Others Spiritually

Here is another great site - checkout their menus if curious! -

Keys to Helping Others Spiritually — Ananda

Swami Kriyananda, Paramhansa Yogananda’s direct disciple and the founder of Ananda, counseled thousands of people during his lifetime. He developed our approach to counseling others spiritually. Most people live in the conscious realm, which is limited to the material world. They are not used to...

www.ananda.org

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

On that theme -

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Help+Others+Awaken+the+Light+Within

Not just the first couple.

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Kindness fruit of spirit

Here is one -

The fifth fruit of the Spirit is kindness. True kindness is taught to us in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each another, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

So, just how important is kindness? In a study of 37 cultures around the world, 16,000 subjects were asked about their most desired traits in a mate. For both sexes, the first choice was kindness. Acclaimed psychologists John and Julie Gottman gathered data on successful marriages for decades and found that kindness was essential to a lasting union.

But, what is kindness? It begins with caring, being tenderhearted and compassionate. The Greek word for ‘kind’ is chrestos—meaning ‘useful.’ This means that kindness involves action. Truly kind people will actively look for opportunities to show kindness.

The Fruit Of The Holy Spirit: What Is Kindness?

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.” You may have hear

www.ospreyobserver.com

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

“Talk to yourself like someone you love,” is one of my favorite be kind to yourself quotes. You wouldn’t tell someone you love how disappointed you are in them on a daily basis would you? Of course not. So don’t talk to yourself that way. Talk to yourself with kindness, love, and self-acceptance.

Be Kind To Yourself Quotes – 50 Best

Of all the people in the world that deserve your love and kindness, you deserve it most. Get started with these be kind to yourself quotes.

empoweredandthriving.com

Enjoy your browsing!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

More advice at that site ...

When things are going great, it’s easy to be kind to yourself. We have higher levels of self-esteem, self-value, and self-worth when we experience success. When we suffer from failure, however, or things aren’t going our way, it’s easy to beat ourselves up. You must learn how to be kind to yourself even when things aren’t going your way. Here are 7 easy habits that will help.

Be Kind To Yourself – 7 Easy Habits

When we experience failure, it's easy to beat ourselves up. We must avoid this and learn how to be kind to yourself. Here are 7 Easy Habits.

empoweredandthriving.com

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Try this - Meeting Imperfection with Kindness - for example -

When we bring to mind our imperfections, how do we feel? Perhaps we feel a sense of guilt, embarrassment, shame, regret, depression or anxiety. We may feel a tightness; an urge to keep our imperfections hidden from others. We probably wouldn’t want everyone to know of our addictions and failings, all the times we acted stupidly or selfishly, the times when we’ve lost control, lost our courage or lost our minds.

Meeting Imperfection with Kindness / The Mindfulness Project Blog

The MBSR is the most recognised and established mindfulness course, taught all over the world, and scientifically proven to help people cope better with stress, depression and anxiety.

www.londonmindful.com

Includes a link to a talk by Tara Brach who also has a huge site!

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Helping others as a path to healing

If you’re a wounded healer who isn’t healing, aren’t you just the walking wounded? Someone who is trying to help others emotionally, mentally, physically or spiritually while not practicing what they preach seems hypocritical. After all, the first task of a healer should be to heal themselves, right?

Lately, I’ve been questioning this assumption. I think you can be a wounded healer and still help others. In fact, I’ve been thinking about the possibility that a person can only heal themselves by healing others.

Now, helping others because it makes you feel good may seem like a selfish act. I wonder, though, if that isn’t a very sane motivation. For the highly empathetic, which is how I identify, we feel things deeply. Participating in the happiness and well-being of another person can only have a positive effect on us. If this is part of the reason for taking up a position as a healer, I think that’s fair game.

I’M A WOUNDED HEALER: Helping others is my path to recovery

To be a healer, you don't have to be completely healed yourself—lightening the load of others, as a "wounded healer," can heal you, too.

www.themindfulword.org

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Rick Hanson generosity

Leads to a couple of videos. Here's one -

Enjoy your browsing!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

From his site -

Giving – known as “dana” in Pali, the language in which the teachings of the Buddha were first written down – is the first of the ten “paramis” or perfections of a Bodhisattva, a highly Awakened person who postpones his or her ultimate enlightenment to bring all beings to liberation.

The other nine paramis (with links to the fantastic Access to Insight website, for more information) are virtue (sila), renunciation (nekkhamma), discernment (pañña), energy/persistence (viriya), patience/forbearance (khanti), truthfulness (sacca), determination (adhitthana), good will (metta), and equanimity (upekkha).

In their most complete expression, these are combined with compassion and skillfulness, and they are untainted by any kind of craving, self-centeredness, or positional views.

To read more -

Giving Is Good: Generosity from Everyday, Buddhist, and Evolutionary Perspectives - Dr. Rick Hanson

Giving is the first of the ten “paramis” or perfections of a Bodhisattva, a highly Awakened person who postpones his or her ultimate enlightenment to bring all beings to liberation. You can read this article within a Buddhist framework or simply for its reflections on the deeply human...

www.rickhanson.net

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Just when you may have thought there couldn't be an more angles on kindness, I found these - remind me to paste a few excerpts -

Tips for raising global citizens

kidworldcitizen.org global citizenship at home

Tips For Raising Socially Aware Children

I have yet to explore all those results - quite a few in fact!

Yes - I like the idea of seeing yourself as a global citizen rather than identify with divisive labels.

Enjoy your browsing!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

One more -

Help your students become citizens of the world

What does global education look like in your classroom or your school? Is it an annual cultural celebration with a heavy emphasis on food and music? Or do your students engage regularly and deeply with world issues, communicating and collaborating with people whose perspectives may differ from their own?

For too many students, global education remains at best a sidebar to the regular curriculum. “In so many places, it’s an annual festival. Schools check the box and say, ‘OK, we’ve done global,’” says Fernando Reimers, professor of international education and the director of the Global Education Innovation Initiative and the International Education Policy Program at Harvard University.

How Are You Helping Your Students Become Global Citizens?

A globally competent student is one who can investigate the world, weigh perspectives, interact with diverse audiences, and take action.

www.edutopia.org

Leads to this pdf document -

https://tinyurl.com/m76xekby

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

A bunch of videos for kids about empathy -

If we are raising children to be global citizens, to be changemakers in the world, and to be leaders in kindness, one of the most important skills we need to help them develop is empathy. I’m sharing today 18 videos about empathy to introduce kids to understanding the feelings of others.

First, what is empathy? Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s condition from their perspective. We often hear about “putting ourselves in their shoes.” It is a key element of emotional intelligence, and a skill that helps us build and maintain relationships. Empathy is the base of tolerance and compassion and kindness. It teaches kids to be helpful and to communicate better. When kids are shown examples of empathy, and are introduced to the meaning, they begin to recognize it in their own lives.

Videos about Empathy for Kids: 18 Short Clips to Help Understand Others

These 18 short videos about empathy help kids build their own empathy muscle, and understand others' perspective and experiences.

kidworldcitizen.org

Off to explore a bit more!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

With this latest traumatic conflict, countless people would appreciate a little human kindness.

Scroll down this page to find organisations who are helping the victims -

How to help victims of the deadly and distructive Israel-Gaza conflict

As the horrendous carnage emerges from both sides of the border of Israel and Gaza, people around the globe are clamoring for ways to help those caught in the crossfire.

abcnews.go.com

Namaste

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Even more on that theme - several agencies and organisations helping out -

How to Help Civilian Victims of the Israel-Hamas War

Hamas’s attacks and Israel’s military response and its blockade of Gaza have created a large-scale humanitarian crisis.

www.thecut.com

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Fighting poverty with kindness

Poverty is the struggle – often the inability – to earn enough money for basic needs, like housing, food, and electricity. Poverty affects families and individuals around the globe and in our own neighborhoods. These projects connect you with creative ways to fight poverty together.

Here is the full list -

Fight Poverty — Doing Good Together™

Poverty affects families and individuals around the globe and in our own neighborhoods. These projects connect you with creative ways to fight poverty together.

www.doinggoodtogether.org

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

A good book is a powerful tool to build compassion. Emerging research demonstrates it’s not that empathetic people are drawn to reading. Reading fiction actually trains the mind to think with more compassion.

"You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive."

James Baldwin, American writer and activist

Share Book Love — Doing Good Together™

A good book is a powerful tool to build compassion. With this collection of service project ideas, your family can encourage literacy at home and beyond.

www.doinggoodtogether.org

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

A willingness to share a snack or a toy can go a long way to helping kids make and keep friends. According to a study published in Psychological Science, children as young as age 2 may show a desire to share with others—but usually only when their resources are abundant.

However, children between the ages of 3 and 6 are often selfish when it comes to sharing resources that come at a cost. Kids might be reluctant to share half of their cookie with a friend because it means they’ll have less to enjoy. But those same children might readily share a toy that they're no longer interested in playing with.

By age 7 or 8, kids become more concerned with fairness and are more willing to share. Kids who feel good about themselves are often more likely to share and sharing helps them feel good about themselves. Teaching kids to share may help boost their self-esteem.

7 Social Skills You Can Start Teaching Your Child Now

Social skills for kids are essential for helping children make friends and grow emotionally. Learn the most important social skills and how to teach them.

www.verywellfamily.com

Enjoy your browsing!