Kindness is Awesome – Get it, Give it, Good!

Today one of our counselors sent the link below via e-mail.  She wrote that she wished she had sent it during Kindness Week, and that teachers could use it as a follow up with their classes.  After watching the video, I wondered how often kindness week comes along.  I feel like we might consider having at lease one kindness week each month.  Maybe two?  What about three, or even four?  How about an ongoing series of perpetual kindness weeks that run congruent to one another for an extended period of time…like possibly forever; just a thought.

The clip reminded me of the power of kindness.  It made me think about the emotional charge that kindness offers those who give and receive it.  I thought about the people I serve.  There’s a great song by James Taylor called “Caroline in my Mind” (you may have heard it).  In the song, Mr. Taylor sings, “there ain’t no doubt in no ones mind that love’s the finest thing around,” and goes on to reference kindness as a way to communicate love.  The implication is that being kind to someone, saying kind words and acting in kind ways, communicates that you care about him/her…and doesn’t it?  Furthermore, wouldn’t we all (or at least most of us) agree that caring for each other is one of the finest things around?

As educators, we know that the lives of those we serve are enhanced when they realize that we care about them.  When our caring is overt, our students learn better, our faculties have a more harmonious workspace, our parent populations feel increased confidence in the fact that we work day and night to provide the highest quality academic and social growth environments and experiences for their children, and that we do it because we care.  Kindness expresses caring.  Kindness is truly powerful.

At the end of the clip, where the middle school student explains how deeply impactful a simple act of kindness was to him (with tears streaming down his face) I couldn’t help but feel that power.  What a great feeling.  What an awesome thing.  I recently wrote about being kind to yourself, and I still think that it’s important.  However, this clip reminds me how profoundly important and gratifying it is to be kind to others.  Being kind lifts people up.  It pulls people together and causes extraordinary things to happen.  It helps people believe in themselves and in one another.  Kindness is as much a gift to the giver as it is to the receiver…if not more.

If you have three and a half minutes, watch the video below.  Absorb the feeling it generates in you.  Think about how kindness contributes to your life in any and all roles in which you function.  This clip makes me take stock, go back to the basics, and seek growth in my ability to shower those I serve and care about with kindness.  It makes me want to work harder through frustrations and disappointment.  It makes me want to remember my core values.  It makes me want to grow.  What does it do for you?

Dream Big.  Work Hard.  Be Well.

 

 

8 comments

  1. Starr

    Seth, great post… and great reference to JT! I love him and I love that song. Kindness really is so important and it goes a long way. A smile has the potential to really change someone’s day and that has the ability to change the smilers 🙂

    Keep doing what you’re doing… it’s awesome

    • bergseye

      Thanks Starr…why am I not surprised that you’re a JT fan?! I think that the Monday Mythology message made a real impact on me today:). Along with the clip, it reminded me of the crucial kindness message. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the business of the day to day. Taking the time for active, thoughtful kindness is so important and meaningful! A smile really does go a long way. I truly appreciate your consistent support and encouragement, and I am regularly inspired by your work! Thanks for practicing what you preach – have a great holiday!

  2. Don

    Yes… Thanks! It’s that bucket filling concept, the bucket filler gets as much in return. Great piece for Thanksgiving !

    • bergseye

      Great connection Don! I love that book, and it’s a concept that students can really understand and latch onto. As we work to fill the buckets of those around us, our buckets become filled and our communities become increasingly enriched:)! Thanks for the read and the comment – have a great holiday!

    • bergseye

      Thanks Jim…I couldn’t agree with you more! I see kids getting this concept every day at school. So many students understand the value of kindness, compassion, and giving. As school community leaders it’s up to us to let that understanding develop and spread. Thanks for the Soul Pancake link too – great stuff! Have a wonderful Holiday:)!

  3. Lyn

    We’re focusing on kindness this year, too. I think we sometimes forget the power of kindness in our effort to stop meanness. I may show this video to my staff now that our kindness month is “over.” We need to keep connecting kindness month to the next month and the next and the next. Perpetual kindness. Thanks for the reminder.

    • bergseye

      My pleasure Lyn! Thanks you so much for the read and the insightful response. I couldn’t agree more. No harm in focusing on the positive:)! Touch base with your progress regarding perpetual kindness when you have a chance. Be well!

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