Hello there ,
As we head deeper into the final quarter of the year, how are things?
Today is World Mental Health Day, and if there's one positive outcome from the pandemic it's that mental health is finally being taken more seriously, with less stigma.
Our goal at Fierce Kindness is to help people contribute to a better, kinder world (and boy do we need this!). But it's hard to do if we don't feel good, or if we're stressed and overwhelmed. That's why we start with ourselves.
So, this week, I had to be kind to myself. I didn't finish the article I'd written for this week's newsletter. Rather than share something rushed, I gave myself permission to write to you in this email instead!
This is taken from a journal entry I wrote this week about kindness, inspired by the recent release of the Pandora Papers (how world leaders and
wealthy people have been avoiding paying taxes). Here are some of my thoughts about kindness for you to ponder:
If kindness was a priority/top value in our society here are just a few ways things could be different:
- Instead of decisions made to maximise profit, meet targets, avoid costs, it would be easy for people in corporations and individuals to make the "right" decisions morally and ethically.
- Instead of having young people consumed with how they look, taking the perfect selfie and obsessing over likes, they would be kind to themselves—focusing on things other than superficial appearance.
- Instead of (women especially) rushing around putting everyone else first, they could say "no" and take care of themselves, without self-judgement—or being made to feel guilty by others.
- Instead of (men especially) only being allowed to feel a limited range of feelings, they could also learn to be kind to themselves and share what's truly going on with them without being seen as 'weak'.
- If we loved—and were kind to—ourselves, we would find it easier to 1) be our authentic selves, 2) have fewer compulsions and unhealthy habits and 3) enjoy life more.
Kindness offsets the issues we see with Capitalism and greed, (profits over people/our environment), self-obsession/individualism and the increasing worry and unhappiness everywhere which shows up as anxiety, depression, stress and more.
Oh—and more kindness and understanding would also offset the increasing divisiveness we're seeing in all spheres of life.
But, and you probably guessed this was coming, kindness alone is not enough to overcome these deeply embedded societal issues...
...We need Fierce Kindness: kindness combined with courage, determination and perseverance to break through and go against the grain, to challenge what seems normal and do things differently.
And each and every one of us can play a part in this. We can role model a different way of being, relating to others—and ourselves, living, doing business and more.
💟 So what do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 💟
