True thoughts on kindness

I love all the focus that you see on kindness on social media/graphic tees/coffee cups these days- this a good thing.  And who doesn't appreciate going through drive-thru and learning someone has bought your coffee in the car ahead of you- people looking out for other people, love it.
These are attitudes I want to adopt and want to teach my children also.

But when does kindness become too much.  You know that line where said person just comes off as insincere and fake?  

I feel like when I was growing up I was a bit of a push-over- I would give in to something I didn't necessarily want to do just so I didn't hurt the other person.  I wouldn't speak my mind out of fear of making someone mad/upset/uncomfortable.   

That's where being too kind did me a disservice.  

Luckily, somewhere along the way I found my voice and while sometimes I'm still reluctant, I am able to speak my mind without worry about the other person and I'm even getting better at not feeling the need to explain myself.



I want my kids to be kind, but I also don't want people to walk all over them.  They have to know their boundaries and limits and when it's okay to call someone out and be true to themselves. 

We should be kind, but we should also be honest.

And that doesn't mean that speaking your truth should be done in a mean way, it just may mean that you might not come off as the Queen of Kind for 30 seconds while you stand up for yourself and what you believe in.   I hope my kids know that there is a way to be firm while being kind and that can go a long way. 

This quote that P!nk posted last year was the eye-opener to me.   Why be fake nice to someone when it really isn't what you're feeling?  Shouldn't we be sincere and authentic first and if someone is upsetting you, you should speak that truth?

I don't know about you, but I would rather someone be honest with me than be overly kind when they don't mean it.  That just sends the wrong message.

So go out and continue to be kind and show the world the love it needs, but also- stick up for yourself and stay true to yourself first!

On a side note, I met someone that I truly admire and I am going to say that out loud- Ashlyn, I want to be more like you.   You know what you want in the world and you aren't afraid to ask for it.  You chase your dreams and adjust your life accordingly like a boss so that you can achieve it and I hope we can learn from you.  We recently had Ashlyn as a guest on our podcast- you can have a listen here:

Linking up with the girls on TBB