Just Kidding

You are a great and powerful human being!

Use your powers for good and you will be rewarded!

     How you interact with people is the single most important way to spread kindness.  The way you treat other people and the things you say carry weight to them.  When you choose your words and actions carefully it will make a difference in other peoples lives and the way they respond to you!  We never know the impact that our words and actions have on another person or how they view us.  How do you want to be thought of by others?  Do you want to be thought of as a happy uplifting person?  Do people enjoy your company? Do they request your presence? Or do you find yourself not being invited or talked to?
     Everyone knows "that guy" or "that girl" the one that one that is always just kidding. The person who comes around many times uninvited who shows up and greets you with an insult that is supposed to be "funny" but never is.  That person can be just as powerful as a kind person and in some cases more powerful. When they walk into a room the energy changes. People get on defensive they start looking over their shoulder and hoping subconsciously that they are not going to be attacked by that persons insults next.  In most cases people fear the insults so much that they take the preemptive strike and they deliver the insult first which only fuels the fire for that person and lets them think that their just kidding attack is funny and acceptable.  Then it becomes contagious and everyone starts making fun of one another. The impact that this person has on others is destructive. Even though it's understood that they are "just kidding," their words carry weight and a destructive force. The things they say affect people on a conscious and subconscious level. It affects their self esteem and makes them feel bad. Usually the person delivering the insults doesn't realize this so they continue to do it because they think it's funny and that others enjoy it.
     Then there is the opposite person; the one who gets invited to every thing. The one who puts a smile on peoples faces even before they say anything. The one who lifts and brightens every room they enter with they enter with their positive attitude and their kind words. This person always seems to have good luck and good fortune but more importantly, they are truly powerful people. This person empowers people with encouraging words and compliments, they make others feel good and raise their self esteem.  These people are always talked about in the highest regard long before they arrive somewhere and long after they leave.  The words and kind acts carry weight too and many times have a long lasting effect that goes on to affect others in a positive way.  People remember the good feeling and the good vibes that come from this person and they want to be like this person.
     Who do you want to be? The first person I described or the second?
     You can change any time you want. If you change for the good, I believe you will enjoy the benefits of that so much more that you will never change back.  It's easy to make the change to being a kind person, simply just smiling every time you see someone and paying them a genuine compliment is a great start.  They may not know how to take you at first and they may be waiting for "the punch line" or the insult, but once they know your sincere they will come around and begin to enjoy you and your company!
     How do I know?
     I used to be "that guy" and I saw the negative impact that my words and actions had on others so I decided to make the change and it has been one of the best things I have ever done. Not only do I uplift and empower others but I improve my own self esteem in the process. This change for me is what eventually lead me to create the Kindness Initiative Network and this blog.  I LOVE being kind so much more and seeing the difference that it makes for others that it's my favorite thing to do!  If you're "that guy or that girl" or you know that person, share this article with them and if they get mad or offended, tell them you are Just Kidding!
     Thanks for reading and remember were not here for along time were here for a good time so be kind to each other!

It's working

Build it and they will come ~ Bull Durham

The movement has begun and just like a freight train when it leaves the station someone pulls a small block from in front of the wheels and the big heavy train starts moving.  The train moves very slowly at first but with each revolution of the wheels the speed seems to double until soon the train is moving at full speed. It takes almost as long and more energy to stop a train at full speed than it takes to get it moving.
The point to this illustration is show that once a movement has begun you don't want to stop it but more importantly if you were going to catch the train it's much easier to do it in the beginning than it is when it's at full speed.
I started by making a weekly practice at being kind, spreading kindness,and doing good deeds just on Facebook. Then with blogging, then with Twitter, and Google+, then with a podcast.  At first only on the weekends, then talking about kindness, during the week then, doing good deeds and spreading kindness during the week, until now I'm talking about it and doing something about kindness daily it has become a part of my life and a part of me. At first I could see the happiness and joy that I was bringing to to the people around me.  I could see the differences that I was making in those lives and that was fun, exciting and addictive. The more I spread kindness the more I want to spread it and just like last weeks post the more I look for kindness the more I find.
I have taken notice of kindness just recently on a much larger scale but more amazingly then finding it on my own it's been shared with me by different and sometimes unexpected people. I don't think that I directly inspired the kindnesses that they shared but I do think that just by having the thoughts, feeling and intentions out into the universe that other AMAZING people picked up on the energy and vibration. Those people do and think of AWESOME things and ways to inspire and spread kindness. More importantly I'm surprised by some of the people who shared these links with me it lets me know that kindness is on their radar!
I can now see, hear and feel kindness a little more every day where ever I go this makes me happy and lets me know that it's working! Here are some of the links to kindness that were shared with me this week I know you will enjoy them!
One girl,89 random acts of kindness
Pink stops concert for crying girl!
This one shared by my 15 yr old son call a good guy compilation
Enjoy the links and as always thank you for reading and remember we are not here for a long time we are here for a good time so be kind to each other!

Today is the most IMPORTANT day make it count!

Is today just another day? Are you going to get up and go off to work, school, the gym, or to meet clients?  Maybe just some usual daily living activities like getting groceries, coffee, gas, picking up your dry cleaning or mail, or maybe even some yard work.  How many people will you come in contact with today?  How many of those people do you actually know?  If you think you know them, what do you know about them? Do you want to know more? Are you interested or do you even care?
  The answer to the first question is NO!  Today is not just another day, today is your day!  Today is the day that you CAN be the change you want to see in the world.  Today is the day that you can be, do, or have anything you want IF, (if is a little word with a big meaning), you put your mind to it.  Today is the day that YOU GET TO tell the people that are close to you that you love them.  You GET TO make a difference in peoples lives and change the world for the better!
Back in the day before the internet and cell phones, we used to have this thing called PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. Thank you in advance for allowing me to be a little sarcastic  for a moment and continuing to read any way! I’m simply trying to make a point that we over look and maybe don’t have time for anymore because of all of our “modern conveniences”.  The internet and cell phones that are supposed to make our lives so much more efficient and convenient to free up more of our time turn us into robots with no personal interaction.  Many of us don’t remember a time before all of this modern technology, a time where we had what I call the “the small town effect,” where everyone knows everyone else and what’s going on in their lives.
The small town effect occurred every where from small towns to big cities. People used to make a difference in other peoples lives daily.  It wasn’t uncommon to have a conversation with the person ringing up your groceries or your gas and the people standing in line behind you wouldn’t get mad, they would wait patiently until it was their turn, understanding that it was part of the process. Some times they might even add their two cents to the conversation.  Yes the world moved at much slower pace but was there something wrong with that?  There are still some people that move this way, you know the old guys who you saw reading the news paper, (what ever that is), enjoying some coffee at the local diner or coffee shop in your neighborhood.  They are in no rush, they would much rather take the time to enjoy each others company than to rush through the experience and get on with their day because they KNOW that today is the most IMPORTANT day and they DON’T KNOW when they will get to have this experience again. Chances are it will be tomorrow  but they don’t know that for sure so they’re going to enjoy every last drop of this experience NOW!
My point is that you really DON’T KNOW how many more times your going to have to GET TO have all of these experiences that we call life. I challenge you to take the time each day to get to really know someone that you interact with daily and never mind those complainers in line behind you! GET TO know your neighbors and what’s going on in their life you never know when you may need them or they may need you. Side note, I always laugh a little when I see or hear a news story and they interview the neighbors.  The neighbors always say the same thing “he or she seemed like a nice person but they kept to them selves and I didn’t know them that well but I can’t believe they did that”.  You should know the people living next door or across the street. When I was a kid, my family knew the majority of the people in our neighborhood for several blocks, we were connected and looked out for each other.
Making connections and building relationships enriches our lives in obvious ways but it also helps in ways we may not even recognize.  For example, this practice can help enrich your life at work.  Successful people in sales and business know the importance of personal relationships very well and the one’s that don’t are probably not very successful or haven’t reached their full potential. Sales people know that you must have a personal relationship with the client if you want them to trust you.  No one will buy anything from any body they don’t trust.  The more of a personal relationship a person has with someone, the more they are able to see what they need and are able to offer goods and services to meet their needs. Building these relationships includes getting to know the client, talking with them and getting to know about them. Learning their likes and dislikes, asking about their family and where they’re from as well as interacting with them and enjoying their company, for example, going out to eat or enjoying some entertainment together makes all the difference. Once a personal relationship is established the client will be more receptive to what you have to offer but the relationship always needs to be nurtured. Keep in touch and let them know you remember things about them by doing something like bringing them their favorite beverage, sending a birthday or an anniversary card.
Connecting with everyone on this level is not necessary but building relationships is necessary because it is the core of kindness and the human experience. We are on this planet in these bodies that can move and communicate, so why not take advantage of that opportunity and do just that?  Move, communicate, and connect! This is the most profound way to spread kindness.
Start TODAY making TODAY the most IMPORTANT day in your life, build one personal relationship every day and see how it changes your life to and the lives of others for the better. I know that you will go to bed at night feeling like you have made a difference in the world and that each day when you wake up will become more exciting because of the new connections that you make and the new experiences that you will GET TO have and enjoy. Till next time my friends SLOW DOWN and ENJOY your life and the people in it!  Thanks for reading!