{"id":32937,"date":"2011-04-27T00:56:56","date_gmt":"2011-04-27T04:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/32937\/kind-2\/"},"modified":"2011-04-27T00:56:56","modified_gmt":"2011-04-27T04:56:56","slug":"kind-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/32937\/kind-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Am I Being Kind?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Am I Being Kind?
\nCheck out the choices you make.
\nBy Michael J. Chase
\nHealing words bring happiness and peace for yourself and others.<\/p>\n

Asking \u201cam I being kind?\u201d is the ultimate tool for creating awareness. The next time you\u2019re about to argue, complain, consume unhealthy food, yell at a loved one, or even litter, take a deep breath and inquire within: \u201cam I being kind?\u201d By pausing and internally posing this question, you will not only become more aware, you\u2019ll begin to make kindness toward yourself and all of life a daily practice.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unsure when to apply this powerful phrase, a simple rule of thumb is to look at it from another perspective and consider, \u201cWould I want my children to act this way?\u201d Gandhi famously said, \u201cYou must be the change you wish to see in the world.\u201d Perhaps this could be slightly revised: we must be the change we wish to see in our children. If you don\u2019t have kids, you can simply reflect on how you\u2019d like others to treat you in a similar situation. How often have we heard mothers and fathers tell their children, \u201cIt\u2019s not nice to gossip and talk about other people,\u201d while they\u2019re habitually performing this act of unkindness around their family and friends? Many times, adults preach good manners and politeness while behaving in ways that are incongruent with their own rules.<\/p>\n

My good friend Tom always says, \u201cWhenever I make a decision with kindness, I always seem to make the right choice.\u201d My brother-in-law Mike often follows \u201cam I being kind\u201d with, \u201cWhat\u2019s the kindest possible thing I can do in this moment?\u201d Personally, I find both of those outlooks valuable.<\/p>\n

\u201cam I being kind\u201d is the perfect inner mantra whenever you feel anxious, angry, or conflicted; or if you simply need to make the right choice. When you take a deep breath and reflect on this question before reacting in any situation, you\u2019ll find that it\u2019s the key to both inner and outer peace. And opportunities to use this inquiry of the heart will pop up everywhere. Here are a few to consider:<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve just finished a healthy meal when someone offers you a triple-fudge brownie the size of a brick. You graciously accept it even though you\u2019re trying to lose ten pounds. Before you take a bite, pause, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, \u201cam I being kind to my body?\u201d What do you do?
\n While in a hurry to pick up a few groceries after work, you see an opportunity to cut into a parking space ahead of someone who was obviously heading right for it. Just before you pull in, pause, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, \u201cam I being kind to this person?\u201d What do you do?
\n While out for an evening walk, you notice litter in the street in front of your neighbor\u2019s home. You decide to ignore it because it\u2019s not your problem. But before walking any farther, pause, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, \u201cam I being kind to the earth and my neighbor?\u201d What do you do?
\n A co-worker who drives you crazy inspires you to make a rude comment that will get big laughs from others in the office, but likely hurt this person\u2019s feelings. Just before you speak, pause, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, \u201cam I being kind to my co-worker?\u201d What do you do?
\n You\u2019re about to honk your horn and yell at a woman who accidentally cuts you off in traffic, and you notice she\u2019s driving a carful of kids. Before exploding with anger, pause, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, \u201cam I being kind to this family?\u201d What do you do?
\n Earlier in the week, you promised your spouse that you two would spend Friday evening together having dinner and watching a movie. But Friday morning you get an offer to go out for drinks with some friends after work. You decide that your significant other will probably understand, and the two of you can go out next week. But before you call to let your significant other know about your change of plans, pause, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, \u201cam I being kind to my husband\/wife?\u201d What do you do?<\/p>\n

As you can see, this simple question is the ideal personal device for creating awareness, and it can also help you make choices that benefit yourself and those around you. Each time you ask this question, you can follow up by inquiring, \u201cHow may I be kind?\u201d From there, your only job is to listen and then act in a way that\u2019s congruent with your heart.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Am I Being Kind? Check out the choices you make. By Michael J. Chase Healing words bring happiness and peace for yourself and others. Asking \u201cam I being kind?\u201d is the ultimate tool for creating awareness. The next time you\u2019re about to argue, complain, consume unhealthy food, yell at a loved one, or even litter, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32937\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}