Make 2012 the Year the You Make a Change and Make a Difference!
With another new year here once again, it’s a time that many of us make resolutions – resolving to change this or that about ourselves or our lives. But how many of us make a resolution to give more of us?
There are so many ways we can make difference, but one of the biggest ways (that covers SO much) is just to be kind. If we make the resolution to be kind to others, the difference it can make in your life and the life of the ones you are kind to – it’s just hard to measure.
We all have things going on in our lives – some more than others. If we have a more loving heart, a more forgiving heart, a kinder heart – it will make a difference.
Maybe the person in line behind you seems horrible, in such a hurry, coming across as rude. She’s sounding and seeming rude, but she’s only that way because she’s in a hurry to get back home to her husband who has cancer and doesn’t have much time left. She’s wanting all the time she can get with him, but she’s also tired from the care giving. Give her a break – she truly needs one.
The guy at work seems to like you but everytime it seems you start to have a conversation about anything remotely personal and not to do with work, he suddenly becomes aloof, making you wonder what’s going on. He won’t tell you that he’s scared to get involved with anyone again after he caught his ex cheating on him in the worst possible way. Show some kindness and let trust develop – he needs it.
Someone just cut you off on the highway, speeding around you and not driving safe at all – with a cell phone in their hands. you could let the road rage begin to build and get super angry at the dangerous situation they put you in, or you can forgive and not let anger take over. They might have a good reason for driving that way, or they might just be driving totally irresponsibly. Whichever it is, forgiving is much better than getting angry.
Kindness comes in many forms. It can mean helping someone out, just being nice to someone. It’s not always easy to be kind to someone who might be coming across as mean or rude or horrible. But it’s worth it.
If we put ourselves in another person’s shoes and try to understand why they may be doing this or that, we can being to understand maybe just what they’re going through. And when we understand what another is going through, we tend to treat people better, with kindness. That, in turn, can not only help that particular person, but they just might find out that people DO care about what’s going on and the domino effect will allow them also to treat others with kindness.
So make this the year that you will make a difference. Be kind to others. Smile more. Smile at the person in line behind you, smile at the person who seems gruffy. Make that tiny extra effort to be nice to someone who doesn’t seem all that likeable. Forgive more. Love more.
