I love biographies. It is fascinating how people discover their current path. Some people use their past as an excuse; not Nicole. Her childhood was far from ideal. You can read about Nicole on her website here. She overcame her childhood to graduate from the University of Wisconsin, to become Miss Wisconsin, to be a news anchor, and a newspaper columnist. This is a very impressive list of accomplishments when you consider her troubled beginning. Many times we have very little control over what happens to us but we can control how we react to it. We determine whether our circumstances control us or we overcome them. We make the choice.
Thank goodness Nicole made the choice to live in kindness and report on kindness in her newspaper column and kindness blog. You can tell from her stories she has a caring heart, but her influence goes far beyond her friends, she is a true kindness advocate. She is changing the world with her kindness reporting.
In her own words: “When I close my eyes, I see all of the people on Earth standing and staring at the sky. Only they aren’t looking at the real sky, they are looking at a huge black tarp blacking out the light. Each time someone does an act of kindness, a tiny pin size hole is poked into that big, black tarp, allowing in a speck of light. Someone notices the light and does another act of kindness, creating yet another little hole. Someone sees that new light, realizes what is happening and starts creating more little openings for a light through their own acts of kindness. I see my job, through writing a column, as pushing my fingernails through those pin-sized holes and ripping them open with all of my might. I want to let in as much light as possible by drawings attention to the acts of kindness being done”
Nicole is inspiring us by helping us see the light of kindness. Everyday we can be depressed and feel we can’t make a difference in the world or we can can get up and go make a difference, like Nicole.
Being a kindness champion is not an easy task, as some may think. Grousing in negativity is easy, to hate, to fear, or to give up that is the easy way out for way too many. To fight for love, peace and kindness in our world takes a special person and that is why I am honoring Nicole Phillips, as the first Kindness Warrior. Nicole’s blog has influenced many and gave me the courage to expand my own kindness mission, Live Kinder.
What makes Nicole so powerful is her authenticity. She isn’t a super hero but one of us. We all have struggles that make life difficult. For Nicole, it was breast cancer. We can let our adversity swallow our better self or we can become a kindness warrior, like Nicole. Again, it is not so much what happens to you but how you react to it that determines who you really are. Thank you, Nicole, for letting us see your struggles, your courage, your negativity, your wins, and especially your kindness. By being authentic, you inspire us to live a little kinder by giving us hope.
This week’s questions to ponder:
- Does your past hold you back or does is it making you stronger?
- Do you believe you can make a difference in your own life and in the world?
To learn more:
If you would like to read Nicole’s articles. I would suggest, “Kindness is Courageous,” 100 of her favorite newspaper articles on kindness or follow her on Facebook.
Staying in Touch: Barbara Hirsh can be reached at info@LiveKinder.com I love hearing your kindness stories. Please sign-up for a weekly kindness message at www.LiveKinder.com or follow LiveKinder on Facebook!
