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You judge others as you judge yourself
Judgement is easy. Understanding, empathy, compassion…not so easy. It only gets easier when we are capable of treating ourselves with kindness. But that isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, many of our efforts at kindness are harmful because we’re distracted from recognising what prompts our deliberate acts of kindness. Towards ourselves, and towards…
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Are you in an abusive relationship…with you?
It’s women’s day in South Africa. A public holiday dedicated to recognising the value and contribution of women in society. My hope for this day is that we find the gentleness and nurturing spirit innate in women, and we give it an opportunity to thrive in our own lives, regardless of gender. Don’t be your…
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Are you grateful for you?
Whenever asked about gratitude, the inevitable response is one that is focused on everything we have around us. Sometimes, we consider our health and our skills. At other times we recognise the value of things not being as bad as they could have been. And we convince ourselves that this is being grateful. But how…
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Be gentle
Chances are very good that your harshness or cruelty is directed at the wrong person. Unfortunately, you’ll only realise this after the damage is done. Cruelty, like anger, is most often expressed to those weaker than us, even though we experience it at the hands of those stronger than us. Sadly, it is paid forward…
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Don’t be your own enemy
You undermine yourself when you doubt your ability to accomplish something for no reason other than fear. When you allow the uninformed opinions of others, or their disrespect to define how you feel about yourself, you undermine yourself. When you settle for less because you believe you’re unworthy of better, you undermine yourself. Each time…
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Be what you need
In a world that is demanding attention all the time, it’s easy to get caught up in what we need from others while ignoring what they need from us. Our humanness is often celebrated for ourselves, but set aside in our expectations from others. We all need sympathy and compassion, but are hesitant to give…
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Be gentle…to you
When you treat the vulnerable or the gentle ones with contempt, you create the same monsters that made you. The moment that we realise what we assume to be our nature is in fact a product of our upbringing, we’ll be able to make conscious decisions about who we want to be. Sometimes, we place…
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I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind. I should not be ungrateful to these teachers. Kahlil Gibran
