Unkindness Will Cost You, Even If You Don't Know It Yet

So much is changing right now. And finally, it's all for the better. As one who traditionally resists change with everything she has, it's nice to let go and support it all for once. Funny how at the same time I'm still going against the larger flow of things....continuing to make my own way but now being certain that I'm doing what's right and good and for the benefit of not just me but in support of those I love.

Embracing kindness.....I think that's where it started. Kindness has this wonderful domino effect. When you begin practicing kindness with yourself, you then unlock the ability to pass it on to others....beginning in your own home and spreading outward from there. Without meaning to sound trite, you begin seeing your world, however large or small it may be, through a new filter. The good glows with greater brightness and the bad....well, the bad just starts to stand out in ways you may have never seen before. It stands out to the point where, if not adjusted, it can begin to ruin the whole picture.

I've been weeding out the bad. Things that aren't necessarily bad for others, but bad for me. Things, people, places that were weighing heavily on my mind and spirit. Things that caused me what I thought were dilemmas, but once I cut them out all of that space just seemed to fill with joy and peace.

I struggled for months about things I had seen and heard....little unkindnesses that were thought to go unnoticed. I noticed them. I felt them. And the only decision that made me feel any better was the decision I made to withdraw my support and participation. It probably won't even be noticed....but I notice. And by making a difference for myself, I make a difference for my family and for my own little world.

The withdrawal of financial support might be the grown-up equivalent of taking your ball and going home. But so what? Sometimes it's the only way to say that you want something better. That you want a different way or a different method or a different outlook or different standards.

Resistance is not futile. Resistance builds strength. And with enough resistance, a real and noticeable and measurable difference can be made.

Know where your money goes. Research the things you support. Talk to people. Gather facts and ideas. If research isn't your thing, ask me to help. I'm pretty good at it. I have my own little boycotts and while they may not be noticed on a large scale, that doesn't mean they don't make a difference. I don't buy chemical-based cleaning products. I don't buy milk products containing rBGH. I no longer frequent certain establishments.

I seek out and support locally produced goods whenever possible. I would love to start a vegetable co-op with my neighbors. And I would love for there to be better choices in terms of deciding where our money goes. If you have a moment, please link over to a friend's new page at http://thenonprofitmanifesto.blogspot.com/ for some ideas and thoughts to promote discussion and action in the larger community. We actually can make a difference....and we can promote kindness and change the course of our society.

Profits and popularity should not be the beacons by which we chart our course. And we shouldn't depend on others to tell us what we want or need. We can determine that for ourselves if we just stop to think about it. And I don't think anyone ever said "You know, I wish I hadn't been so kind..."

Do something good everyday. It might make a difference to someone, even if they never know it.