Kindness Challenge Week 4: Kindness Role Model

The fourth week of the Kindness Challenge, created by Niki of The Richness of a Simple Life, is about a (or several) Kindness Role Model. People in our lives who inspire us to be more kind and make kindness a part of our lives. :

Week 4 Theme | Kindness Role Model

After three weeks of focusing on self-kindness, we’re stepping into the first week of extending kindness to others. I thought a great way to start would be by thinking of the people in our lives who inspire us to be more kind and make kindness a part of our lives. Whether it’s someone you know in person or not, think of the people who model kindness with their actions and words. You’re never too old for a role model! This week, think how your kindness role model would respond when it’s hard to extend kindness.

In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

Read more about this week’s challenge, including a useful exercise, HERE

My input:

After reading about the next challenge at Niki’s blog, an inspiring woman herself, I found my self humming or singing this song the following days:

Upcoming Saturday (June 10) I will become 45 and my 44th year on this earth has been a journey full of personal growth on several levels. Thinking of people who inspire(d) me, I automatically think of Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand and Tina Turner; three ladies who had to go through tough time themselves. And although Barbra is my personal all-times favorite singer, who sings beautiful stories often full of wise lessons, the song I imported above beautiful performed and sung by Whitney, describes perfectly how I feel and think about hero’s and thus inspiring people:

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well
And let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty
They possess inside

Give them a sense of pride
To make it easier
Let the children’s laughter
Remind us how we used to be

Children too often have to carry the burden of adults, or of the big world around them. As teenagers we can’t wait to be an adult and as soon as we finally are, we too often forget to laugh… We tell each other to act ‘normal’, and many of us fear to be their unique selves.

Everybody’s searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone
Who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
And so I learned to depend on me.
I decided long ago
Never to walk in anyone’s shadow
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I lived as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can’t take away my dignity

I can name many persons who inspire me, famous people, but the true inspiring persons to me are all people, who are genuine kind to another. I call them ‘Beautiful Souls’: Non-judgmental, open, loving, kind. That last sentence I would like to change, since it was and still is a very important virtue to me, it equals acknowledgement and love in ‘my world’:

No matter what they take from me
They can’t take away my empathy

In my personal Dreampack, people who are my hero’s are the ones, who let me be ME. And who trust me enough to be whoever THEY ARE in my presence. Embracing each others uniqueness. However, what I already knew and now finally truly feel and learned:

The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

Like I already mentioned in the previous Kindness-posts; it is not about being selfish. It’s about being kind to yourself, to be able to (and many more ‘benefits’) be kind to an Other. It is OK to be you and thus me, with all of our limitations and positives. Weaknesses can become strengths. Loving yourself helps you to acknowledge this.

Yes, life can be tough and maybe you’ve convinced yourself it is better to seek solitude, literally. Taking a break, in silence, focusing on your Inner Voice, your Soul, is indeed needed. Even daily, if you go to a rough phase in your life. However, I strongly believe we humans won’t thrive in solitude, we are a specie that just needs others to connect with. How often, that differs per person, no doubt about that 😉

And If by chance that special place
That you’ve been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love.

Can’t you find the strength in love yourself? Reach out to another living creature. It doesn’t even have to be a person, hence, our dogs unconditionally love saved me many times! Start seeing yourself through the eyes of the ones you love, the ones who love you; those who tell you, you are worthy.

Find your strength in love.

Whitney lost her battle, many others unfortunately do. Creating a world, a Dreampack, in which we dare to be our true unique selves, requires Kindness. We ALL can be that and become inspirational ourselves. It is as simple as Niki writes:

In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

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Missed my input for week 1, 2 and 3 ? You can read it HERE , HERE  and HERE