kindness Archives - Tiny Buddha

The Mean Instinct: Why We Exclude Others and How to Stop

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” ~Unknown

“Girls are mean!” I nodded knowingly as my boss struggled to explain the difference between raising boys and girls. I couldn’t speak to raising boys, but I remembered all too well what it was like when my daughters were growing up.

Girls traveled in packs, always with a leader at the helm. And almost every week, one of the lesser-ranked members was cast out, ostracized from the group. More often than not, it was one of my daughters. I distinctly recall their heartbreak—the kind of deep, inconsolable sorrow that …

Standing Up for Yourself Doesn’t Make You Any Less Kind

By Kalyani Abhyankar

“Being a good person doesn’t mean being a doormat… You can be kind, giving, and full of love, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept disrespect or allow your boundaries to be crossed.” ~Unknown

I can still vividly remember sitting in my seventh-grade classroom, forcing a laugh as my classmates made jokes at my expense. My cheeks would burn red, but I’d smile along, desperately wanting to belong. For years, I mistook my silence for kindness, my nervous laughter for good nature. I didn’t realize that by laughing at myself, I was slowly chipping away at my own self-worth.…

Let’s Be Good to People for No Reason

By Lori Deschene

Do It with Kindness in Your Heart

By Lori Deschene

A Beautiful Reminder of How Powerful We Are

By Karin Kiser

“No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another… A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.” ~Amelia Earhart

When you’re having a particularly rough day, it’s tempting to hang your head in defeat and conclude it’s a cruel world where nothing matters. I had a day like that last month.

A good friend was diagnosed with a horrendous disease. The horse I had been training with for years …

Not Everyone Is Going to Be Holly and Jolly

By Lori Deschene

Even If We Disagree About Everything

By Lori Deschene

Treat All People with Kindness

By Lori Deschene

Meliorism

By Lori Deschene

How to Make a Big Change by Embracing Love and Confronting Fear

By Annie Das

“If you truly want to change your life, you must first be willing to change your mind.” ~Dan Altman

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts recently, and the guest speaker, Gary Zukav, was explaining that humans operate from two major emotions. Once you learn this and can differentiate how you’re truly feeling, life can feel easier and more peaceful. He said this:

Every emotion stems from only two: love and fear.

It took me a second to let the message sink in, but the more I thought about this statement, the more I realized how true it

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