What the world needs RIGHT now

Yesterday I read a message online from an old friend about the first few coaching conversations she had this year.

She painted a picture of people looking for direction, being frustrated, overwhelmed, stuck, simply not in a good place.

Obviously, this is not a representative picture, but I also believe we have a problem on our hands.

Inflation is up, energy prices are skyrocketing, and COVID is not going anywhere soon.

Yes, we’re getting used, or perhaps numb, to more lockdowns, booster shots, and wearing our face masks everywhere.

But this is not the world we signed up for. This is not the world we’ve chosen to spend our lives in.

Or is it?

Well, to me, this is not the world I signed up for.

I don’t need people around me to get less tolerant by the day.

People behave like jerks in traffic. Listening to each other is at an all-time low. Customer service is a disaster in most places I go. Positively intended posts on social media receive cynical and negative comments all the time.

And the weather is not helping either.

If anything, give me a cold, white, snowy winter. Not this windy, rainy, grey stuff I’m faced with for the last few days.

Be kind to me.

Kindness is what the world needs at this moment. If you believe in getting what you deserve, kindness should start with me.

A little touch of kindness goes a long way.

Many people feel stuck, overwhelmed, and unmotivated.

And that’s not a coincidence. It’s a logical result of the shitstorm we’re in right now. And it results in the negative behaviors described above.

It’s all logical, but that doesn’t make it justified.

A shitstorm also provides opportunities. We just don’t see them always right in front of us. When there’s fog outside, it’s hard to imagine the sun shining above the clouds.

But she’s there.

She always is. And we know it. The sun is trying to warm us up with her kindness and her lightness.

So let’s all be a little kinder to each other and ourselves. Even if we, ourselves, are doing well and handling the current context well, there may be others who don’t.

Give a little bit of your kindness to those who need it, unsolicited.

Those who need it, won’t start talking about what they need by themselves. Especially not when you’re all hunky-dory, everything is going smooth in your wheelhouse, and you’re radiating your fortune.

We’re all human beings, we’re resilient by nature, but that doesn’t mean we deserve to be treated without respect and kindness.

Whether we’re in a good spot in our lives or not.

So yes, I promise I will breathe a little deeper the next time I receive horrible customer service.

And yes, I’ll smile when someone is cutting me off trying to be ten seconds earlier in the office.

And yes, I’ll even be friendlier to the weather gods when they present another rainy, windy, grey day to me.

This is one of the reasons why I love to write. Because I know that once my 500 words are on paper, I’ll feel good. It brings meaning to my day and my life.

I know someone will read my words at some point and enjoy what I wrote, and perhaps makes the world a little better in return.

That’s my little touch of kindness.

In one week, January 20th, I’ll host a webinar on personal growth.

And one of the foundational premises is that most of us can do a better job understanding how we impact people around us.

We may often have the best intentions, but we have no clue how our behavior impacts others.

If we start from a position of kindness, we can be sure that the chances of positive impact increase.

So don’t be a jerk. Be kind.

Your turn: Who will you be kind to? And how?

Do more of what makes you happy!

Erikjan

PS. My personal growth webinar will take place on Thursday the 20th of January at 2 pm CET. Sign-up below.