Why This Conscious Ink? "Be Kind"

What other people think of us is none of our business. This is a matter, among many other things, that is out of our control. Investing time trying to understand and manipulate others' perceptions of us is a pastime that does more harm than good. Still, it is human nature to be concerned with what other people are thinking about us and many of us will drive ourselves crazy pondering this.

Fortunately, there is a way out. It's simple, straightforward and relatively painless. Be kind. That's it. This intention pulls the focus away from the external thing we have no control over, another person's perception of us, and directs it onto something that we can control, our own behavior.

With this comes a massive shift in the way we approach our lives. Instead of mulling endlessly over what we should say or do to make a good impression--i.e make that person approve of us--we can simply lead with kindness and let the cards fall where they may. This approach to life is incredibly liberating. It takes us out of our heads and into the present moment, where all of the good stuff is unfolding in real time. 

When we are kind, both to ourselves and others, we stop harboring grudges, our shoulders drop, and the world feels like a friendlier place. We attract the energy that we give off. When we smile, the world smiles back at us. Strangers hold doors open for us, exciting opportunities arise from unexpected places and people are eager to give us great recommendations. People want to be around kind people and furthermore, to see them succeed. Even when our kindness isn't reciprocated, we can rest well knowing that we did all that we could do.

So I will pose the question, what if we reclaimed all of the time and energy that goes into our attempts to solve the mystery of what others think of us and redirected it towards being kinder humans? There are no bounds to the shifts that can come about from a small intention. 

 Amanda,