How To Be a Kindness Superhero

How did this mission start….?
Well, to be honest some things went awry last Monday for me, I was feeling kinda torn down by an interaction with a pretty unsympathetic doctor.  Then, during my meditation practice, this quote came into my mind.  It’s one of my favs and I hadn’t thought about it for a while….

So whether it’s a dr., a store clerk, a boss or a loved one who’s acting the so called villain….
How is Kindness a relevant answer?  

Here was my epiphany…..
Someone else had really cut me down….  It’s life, this stuff happens and it sucks.  BUT
I realized that I could combat that “meanness” by
Remaining kind to Myself.
And I’m thinking that’s the core of SuperHero Kindness.  How?



Employ the Kryptonite Shield.
We cannot always prevent another persons lashing out at us, but when we remain Kind to OURSELF in these tricky moments, we shield ourselves from their Kryptonite.  We don’t have to run down that path of being mean towards ourselves just because someone else is being mean to us.  We cannot prevent someone else’s crazy but we can protect ourselves by remaining kind to ourselves in those hard moments.
It’s so easy to blame, shame, and feel awful if someone else is throwing negativity at us – it becomes so easy to buy in, follow their train and blame/shame ourselves  along with them.  Their rant against you is their story.  You don’t have to read it, buy into it and allow their malice to be your truth.

How to be Kind to YOU
So often when we think KINDNESS, we think Kindness to other people.  And YES that is truly imperative.  However, sometimes I have a terrible habit of leaving myself out of the equation.  I think the foundation of kindness is learning to be kind to Ones Self.   When the chips are down and I feel dark – usually the root comes from not acknowledging a piece of me.   Ignoring something within me that needs to be heard, said or taken care of.    I equate this kind of disregard to being ‘unkind’ to a piece of me.

Sometimes it’s easier to be kind for other people than for yourself.  But the truth is, it’s just as important to care for ourselves as it is to care for other people.  Often that’s the place where it’s easy to fall short.  Sometimes it’s self-care, sometimes it’s deeper listening, sometimes it’s honoring our emotions, sometimes it’s taking that bold step forward, sometimes it’s speaking our mind, sometimes it's curbing negative self-talk, sometimes it’s creating a protective boundary….. It can be a lot of things.  The point is that we need to remember to be kind to ourselves, our spirits and our own heart.  When we do that we actually create a stronger foundation for our own joy and the ability to be kinder to others.  When the storm comes, ask yourself, what are you doing to remain safe, warm, and dry?   That’s kindness!!

Being Kind to Villains
Kindness is not being a doormat, Kindness is being willing to be graceful in the most ungraceful moments. Sometimes kindness is doing nothing and allowing someone else to have their tantrum.  I truly believe everyone is having their own challenges.  That’s life.  However, that doesn’t mean you have to buy into another persons meanness or disrespect.
If you can stand in your grace and remain kind to yourself – it’s amazing how you can rise above another persons mean.  Remember, you combat their mean by remaining kind to You.

Random acts of Kindness.
As I write this, it feels this topic could encompass a book and I’m sure it has…..!
But in the spirit of keeping my missives short and sweet  I wanted to include these thoughts about kindness because they feel super powerful.
Kindness is not about sacrificing your well being to serve others.  Kindness is about leaving a room a little bit brighter when you leave it.
Kindness does not have to be huge to make a difference.  Sometimes small can have a huge impact! It can be a smile, It can be a word, It can be simple as simple as truly listening to another person.

When you look at a situation, remember it is always to be possible to be kind.  To both yourself and others.  And it’s like anything else I’ve learned to do.  It’s not always perfect, especially at first, but…..  The more I practice, the better I get.

And one more thing…
Why the word SuperHero?
I use super hero because it takes a strong spirit to survive kryptonite attacks.
It can feel like a superhuman feat to respond to malice with kindness.
It takes a lot of Love to remain kind to oneself when someone has been unkind to us.

I believe in YOU!
Sending you Blessings, Light and the Utmost of Kindness to you in all that you do
Love