It Is *Always* Possible

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. – Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama)

I could go in all sorts of directions with this one, but I want to focus on one that doesn’t occur to so many people.

Be kind to yourself.

Always.

That doesn’t mean you rationalize or tell yourself stories that aren’t true. It means that we are often our harshest critics. And we’re generally wrong about what we’ve done, or not done, means.

Being kind to ourselves is often the most empowering thing we can do, for ourselves and others.

When we’re kind to ourselves we develop the habit of, and capacity for, kindness. And what we have for ourselves we can give to others. (Just as when we blame and judge and belittle ourselves, that what we have for others… )

Kindness, as with happiness and so many of the “-nesses” is an inside job.

Be true to yourself and what’s real and be kind, to yourself and others – when it’s possible, and when it’s not.

Similar Posts

  • Well-Being and Money

    My well-being is independent of my bank account balance. My sense of what is possible for me is independent of my bank account balance. My willingness to do new things and learn is independent of my bank account balance.   I was inspired to write the above while reading a book written by one of…

  • Let Them Know

    Everyone wants to be appreciated. So if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret. – Mary Kay Ash To be appreciated is to be affirmed. To be affirmed is a reminder that we are beyond mere survival in the world and we free to use our gifts and talents to be fulfilled and help…

  • What Really Limits Us

    “The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein The idea that our language creates our world (each of our worlds… ) is very compelling for me. I have long said that humans are meaning-seeking and meaning-creating creatures. We must not only understand our world, but make sense of it,…

  • Without Courage

    Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning. – Winston Churchill Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s acting anyway. Where are you afraid, where you could act anyway? Which of your fears are just excuses?

  • Dreaming and Looking Back

    I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. – Thomas Jefferson You should spend four times as much time dreaming as you do looking at the past. Really, it’s true, there have been numerous studies that have shown . . . . I’m kidding, there are no studies. And…