Before I started working on my self-image and my understanding behind the science and psychology of Universal Laws, I knew that it was important to be kind and generous toward others.

If your upbringing was anything like mine, I can remember being scolded or guilted for not wanting to share something that belonged to me or for not turning the other cheek if someone was unkind to me. Eventually, I learned to be kind to a fault or at my own expense. 

As we grow up, discerning and understanding balance and boundaries sometimes doesn’t get taught to us until we grow up into adulthood and learn some tough life lessons.

Fast forward to today, and I have a completely different understanding of what it means to be kind.  It’s not out of guilt or shame; it’s not born from sacrifice or giving at the expense of setting boundaries. 

It comes from a place of remembering the essence of who I am and joy, a feeling of enoughness and wholeness.

There is plenty of room to extend that love and kindness to ourselves, and in doing so, we have so much more kindness and love to offer to others.

Here are a few ways kindness can elevate your life and beingness.

1. Being kind releases natural pain relief and natural anti-depressants in oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins.  Being kind just feels good!
2. Being kind helps rewire your brain to focus on the good in any person and any situation.
3. As you release positive hormones into your system, you lower levels of cortisol.  Cortisol is a stress hormone that can exacerbate all sorts of health problems.

You don’t have to do anything extravagant to reap the benefits of kindness, and here are a few simple ways to incorporate active kindness into your day.

1. Buy a cup of coffee for the next person in line.
2. Notice something nice about someone and tell them.
3. Hold the door open for someone.
4. Say thank you
5. Write in a daily gratitude journal.
6. Send someone a text or video message, letting them know you appreciate them.
7. Smile and make eye contact with someone you are walking by.
8. Pay attention to the clerk when you check out at the store and ask them about their day.
9. Do something kind for yourself…go for a walk, get some ice cream or take a spa day.
10. Walk or pet your dog.

Setting boundaries and taking time for myself are a couple of the ways I extend kindness to myself, and I find when I do that, it permeates everything I touch, from my relationships to the creativity and joy I experience in my work and even the level of success I experience in my results!

Energy attracts like energy, so when you are elevating your energy through kindness, you are also attracting everything else that is in harmony with that positive energy.  That is what I call taking the path of least resistance toward your aspirations and goals.

I’ll teach you how to follow that path of least resistance, create space for yourself so you can be in a beautiful flow state and out of the hustle and grind.  Join us for my free workshop, Rat Race Reboot, where you’ll Reset Your Mind, Reawaken Your Spirit and Regain Control.  Register here:  https://www.stretchintosuccess.com/workshop/

What are some creative ways you extend kindness to yourself and others?