Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. – Lao Tzu

Is there anything in the quote that specifies you can only be kind to people? 

What does that mean?
Many aspects of our life and our actions are linked. This quote describes how kindness impacts our lives in many different ways.

It starts by drawing a comparison between kind words, and the building of confidence. We’ve all been lacking in confidence and reassured by kind words, haven’t we?

Next it draws a comparison between kindness in thinking and profoundness [profound thoughts]. What you think when you are in a kind mood may not seem profound at the moment, but your personal decisions tend to be a little better.

It concludes by comparing kindness in giving to love. For me, this is a two bank shot, kindness in giving leads to gratitude or compassion (depending on which end you’re at), and that leads to love.

Why is kindness important?  
We could start by considering the opposite, what would life be like if no one was kind? An image of a world without kindness really makes kindness seem a bit more important than it might have, doesn’t it?

Kindness, even in small amounts, is a good thing. It makes us feel better for having done it, and (we hope) the other person feels better for having received it. While there are some people who won’t appreciate it, that doesn’t mean we should penalize the rest of the planet for their problems, right?

There is a lot of ways we can show kindness to others. The quote describes how kindness creates a web of improvements in the world around us, everything from inspiring confidence, to creating (or enhancing) love. That seems to be kind of important to me. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Where can I apply this in my life?
Most of us still have plenty of room to improve our kindness. Some days we need it more than others. Yet that is what we often lose first when we get frustrated or angry. But that is when we need it the most.

To me, that implies that we need to be able to recognize that we are getting into a kindness-hostile state. If we can stop it, or at least slow it down, we can attempt to actively engage our kindness. Hopefully, that will slow things down even more, and get us back to where we want to be.

With our heads cleared of the less-than-great state of mind, and kindness on the top of our minds, we can respond to something that was going to anger us with kindness. Something which was irritating just a moment before can be met with kindness instead of a growl.

The quote mentions a few specific times when kindness in action generates other feelings, states, or emotions. I would argue that they can impact not only the other person, but ourselves as well. I gave some examples earlier, but I’m sure you have some of your own.

Take a moment and think about that, how kindness has changed your life, in ways both little and large. What about the times when you have been kind to another, and how did that change you? It might be worth grabbing some paper and writing these things down, such memories are usually something to be savored.

What other ways can kindness change you or another? What other feelings, states, or emotions can kindness invoke? Kindness in action can be a way to demonstrate compassion. It is a form of the kindness in giving, and both this, and compassion, tend to generate love. What else can you come up with?

Are there times when you tend to be more kind? Are there times when you are noticeably less than kind? How about first thing in the morning, or at the end of a long day? If you know yourself, you can better manage how you respond, and how kind you will be. At least it works for me.

Kindness. Think about it and how it impacts the everyone around you. Does it seem a little more profound now?

From: Twitter,  @AR_Foundation
confirmed at : www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laotzu118352.html
Photo by Catskill Animal Sanctuary

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