How to Be Kind
Kindness is not weakness — in fact, it could be your biggest strength
When we study successful people, we often talk about how driven they are. We praise them for their charisma and their decisiveness. But rarely do we stop to ask: Is this person kind?
Yet I believe that kindness has the ability — more than any other trait — to instantly improve our lives. Many of us mistake kindness for weakness. That’s a foolish misconception. It actually takes great strength to be kind.
Look, I’m no Mother Teresa, but I do try to make it a habit to be kind every day, and it’s paid off immeasurably. Here’s how you can be a little kinder, too.
Listen
How often do you ask someone a question and then, before they can utter their first thought, your mind wanders off to some completely unrelated topic? I’ve noticed that most of our interactions are just a superficial exchange of meaningless questions.
To have real conversations — to make someone really feel heard — make an effort to start breaking through the surface. Pay attention to what people struggle with, what excites them, how their voice changes when they talk about different issues. Try to understand who they are.
