I’ve realised I’m probably better at giving kindness than receiving it.
Within the last 3-6 months I was having a relatively tough day. I can’t remember why but I wasn’t in a great space.
A colleague who I think had no idea (because I think I wear the mask well), performed a light act of kindness.
Maybe they bought me a coffee, or asked me if I want to go for a lunch walk or perhaps asked me if I needed anything from the shop and then took my cash and bought the item on my behalf.
To be honest I can’t remember what it was. All I remember is how it made me feel.
For them the effort was probably very low but in that moment, I needed that.
The quotes below speak about kindness and it’s tempting to apply them to US GIVING kindness.
The inversion of that is US RECEIVING kindness.
- How well do you receive kindness?
- Who has been kind to you recently?
- Have there been any acts of kindness towards you that surprised you?
- Were they strangers, colleagues, friends or family?
- Was it a deliberate act of kindness or a subtle unconscious one?
It is my hope that the next time a person shows up to be kind to you, you’re able to accept it.
Below are 7 quotes on Kindness. Read them as if you are the receiver rather than the giver of the act of kindness. Does the quote feel different when interpreted that way?
- No act of kindness is ever wasted. - Aesop
- Be kind because everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. - Plato
- Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see. - Mark Twain
- It takes courage to be kind - Maya Angelou
- You can always give something, even if it’s only kindness - Anne Frank
- Be kind whenever possible, it’s always possible - Dalai Lama
- If you can be anything in this world, be kind. - Caroline Flack
So the next time someone offers you a coffee, checks in on you, invites you for a walk, offers to help, or simply does something thoughtful without being asked, don’t automatically brush it off.
You don’t need to repay it. You don’t need to explain why you’re struggling. You don’t need to say, “I’m fine.”
Just receive it.
Let someone be kind to you.
Kindness isn’t only about what we have to give to others. Sometimes, our job is simply to have the courage to accept what someone else is offering us.