This is my inaugural post and I am very excited that you have chosen to be part of this journey. One of the definitions of inaugural found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, “marking a beginning : first in a projected series”. This blog was difficult to start. It was difficult to commit to writing a blog because fear entered my head with questions like, “What if no one wants to read it?” “Do you really want everyone to know what you’re thinking? and “Do you realize that not everyone is going to agree with you?” I have not been one to let myself be so public, so vulnerable. An “inaugural” post seems like perfect terminology. Today is a day I have planned for over a year, as it took me longer to set up this website than expected. I practiced writing posts and I found writing has brought a peace that counterbalances those fears. It is all about getting the message out and not about the critics that judge. If I only help one person, then this blog is a success in my eyes.
I have become very passionate about kindness, because more than ever kindness is needed in our world. Kindness is not just about doing kind acts but actually thinking deeper about how you live your every day life. The focus of this blog will be on every day kindness, though I also love the power of random acts of kindness.
I worked for many years as a process engineer. My job responsibility included improving processes and mentoring others to improve processes that resulted in millions of dollars of savings for the company. I believe that process engineering skills and thinking can be applied to improving our lives, not just companies. This became evident to me when I was awoken in the middle of the night with the foundation of my first book, “Live Kinder“. I felt so blessed to be a conduit of the information presented in the book. I envisioned that the “Live Kinder” book would be the first chapter of a larger book about improving your life. However, as I sat in church a few weeks ago, I heard the Voice of God tell me in no uncertain terms that my kindness blog is my life’s purpose. Today, the public journey begins for me.
Think of someone right now that needs to be kinder. Who did you come up with? Did you think of yourself? When I started writing, “Live Kinder” I interviewed people about kindness and discovered that most people think they are kind enough and don’t see a need to become kinder. People could see the need in others but could not see an improvement opportunity in themselves. I did not expect this.
Think of the person you thought of when I asked, “Who in your life could be kinder?” Then answer this week’s discussion question:
March 7, 2017 Kindness Work
Discussion Questions:
What makes a person unkind in your eyes?
Do you think you are a kind person?
If you are a kind person, is there anything you can do to help the unkind person you thought about?
Thank you for taking this journey with me!
Barbara Hirsh can be reached at info@LiveKinder.com or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LiveKinder/