“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”

~Dalai Lama

In a digitally driven world, it’s easy to forget that all of us need connection to thrive as human beings. Take our live human connections away and we will wither away. No amount of texts, Facebook, Instagram likes, and tweets will ever substitute for one real human moment. If only for a second we know we matter in our truest form, it changes our day and our outlook.

Unfortunately, in this drive-through world, kindness and compassion takes a back seat to selfies, self-interest, and expendable human interactions. Why is that? Kindness is fundamental to our existence. We are wired for kindness. Being kind isn’t hard work. It just requires that we put others before ourselves.

Can you recall a time somebody was kind to you? Was it today? I hope so!

Now change the scenario and think of a time you were kind to another person. Was it today? I hope so! Think about their reaction and how your heart felt. After I’ve committed a single act of kindness, I feel less pain and stress, greater well-being and even a rush of peace.

If you read no further, can we agree that kindness affects the giver and the receiver?

Kindness helps me bite my tongue when I’m tempted to begin injustice collecting. Being kind says that I don’t need to be right if my goal is to promote and preserve peace of mind. Giving someone a piece of my mind has only ever resulted in a couple of things – (1) I lost a little bit of my mind and (2) I’ve incited conflict and separation.

Being kind teaches me to see the beauty in myself and others. As I look into a person’s eyes now, I know they matter. My life is richer because of them. The more I focus on kindness, the more kindness I see around me.

Kindness has many benefits including increased happiness and a healthy heart. It slows down the aging process, smooths out the lines in your face, and improves relationships and connections, which indirectly boosts your health.

Kindness acts heal. Given all the wreckage we see in the news on a daily basis, when a “feel good” story is shared, it instills faith that there are still people doing what they can to make their part of the world a nicer, more caring place.

That’s the world I want to live in!