Monday Motivation: Be Kind

Sunset (c) KC Saling, 2013

When you wake up way too early and way too cranky on a Monday morning, the last thing you probably want to hear is a reminder to be nice to anyone. I woke up more than a couple days last week ready to chew someone’s head off, mostly because I was doing a lousy job of managing my time in the evening and staying up way too late. And I was letting little things get to me throughout the week. Not a recipe for success.

Whenever I wake up like that on mornings, I go back to my Step One. Breathe. Find something that makes me happy, a thought or a memory, a corny joke, whatever. And make myself smile.

Some mornings, I really have to remind myself to be kind.

I’m not talking about doing elaborate random acts of kindness or anything like that. I’m talking about the simple act of being kind. Like letting someone merge in front of you in busy traffic {and on H-1, that’s a real kindness, because nobody lets you merge!}. Like being friendly to the half-awake barista who opened the Starbucks at 5 am {yes, I know it opens at 5am} and leaving a tip. Just a nice tip. Like smiling and wishing someone good morning on the way into the office.

This isn’t solely for the purpose of generosity, either. It might sound selfish, but after doing nice things for people and being nice to people…I feel better.

Be kind. Share your light. Your joy will grow.

So when I wake up in a mood and am convinced that nothing is going to go my way that day, I do have to remind myself not to pay that dark mood forward to anyone else. Because it does spread. All it takes sometimes is one negative person to put a serious crimp in someone else’s good day. Don’t be that person.

Instead, be the person who helps when help is needed. Be the person who lets an elderly person sit on the train. Be the person who lets a pregnant woman ahead in line. Be the person who holds a door, who leaves a dollar in the tip jar, who smiles and says good morning and makes eye contact doing it, who greets people by name and asks how they’re doing, and genuinely listens to the answer.

These aren’t elaborately staged acts of kindness. They’re simple little gifts that you can give to another person to cheer up their day, and cheer up your own in the process. Just like that negative person can put a damper on someone’s day, you never realize just how much light a positive person can bring into that day either.

Be kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. – Ian McLaren

This Week…

My Focus Points

Everything from last week actually happened. And I was more or less ready for the house to be invaded by a husband and two cats, but it’s still a growing process. Meaning I’m still trying to communicate that when it’s bedtime, I don’t care how cute or cuddly they are, I do not want cats on me.

Here are my goals for this week:

Mindset Goal: Anyone who’s gone looking for letters of recommendation knows how frustrating it could be. I just want patience to see everything through kindly. Politely, at least.
Work Goal: Some of our processes have some serious holes in them. My boss needs some help figuring out a cooperative battle rhythm, so for this week, my focus is totally on helping to manage the office.
Home Goal: Is it payday yet? No? Well, inexpensive fixes will be the word of the week then. And decluttering is always free. Back to the twenty things game, gone and not replaced. I can do this.
Fitness Goal: I have a physical fitness test this Friday. I’d love to say that I’m going to max it, but I’m still working on my runs after tearing my calf this summer. So let’s max push-ups and sit-ups at least.
Life Goal: I don’t remember the last time I had a Skype chat or phone chat with my girlfriends. Time for a girls’ chat catch-up date!

What about you?

Do you have any significant goals to set this week? Anything you’re going to focus on? Comment below or post a link – I’d love to hear what you’re up to and how you’re taking on your challenges!

If you’re looking for more ideas on little things to tackle to improve your life, check out the Weekly Wishes link-up at The Nectar Collective! And if you’re looking for more information on discovering your personality, check out the Blogtember link-up at Jenni’s Story of My Life!