“When you see a person without a smile, give them one of yours.”
Do you prefer to make people feel good or make people feel bad? If you are reading this, I assume you prefer to make people feel good. However, I know there are times where many of us choose to make others feel bad in order to make ourselves feel better. We do it to our loved ones, colleagues and people we don't even know. Perhaps we feel insulted and feel the need to reply with an insult or wisecrack. What if in that moment when someone seems to to be in a bad place, we chose to reply with kindness?
I used to like putting people down and make them feel bad. Sometimes, they didn't even do anything to me. They may have looked at me the wrong way, or I didn't like their appearance. I was shallow and would take cheap shots. It only made me feel better temporarily. Then, I would return to my comfortably unsatisfied existence until I could unload on my next victim of verbal abuse. I never got physical. I was basically a shit talker. I did not win over many people with my behavior. I thought I was being cool, but really I was just being an asshole.
Not until I reconnected to my heart did I truly understand the damage I was doing to myself and others with my negativity. Ever since, I have been on a mission to make everyone I interact with feel good. I don't care if they want to insult me or make me the butt of the joke. I'm fine with that. I found when I treat people with kindness and respect, regardless, they are much less likely to treat me bad. They see how I won't stoop down to their level, so they move on to their next victim. I also realized the people who have the most scars on their hearts are the ones who could really use the most love and kindness.
By taking care of my own wellbeing, I no longer need to put others down to make myself feel better. I have a much better quality of life and people treat me much better. I don't have enemies or a list of people I wish harm on. I simply avoid the negative people and the rest seems to take care of itself. Next time you are faced with a situation where you would prefer to make someone feel bad, I encourage you to respond from a place of love and see how that feels. It has made a world of difference for me. Instead of spreading around negativity, I now prefer spreading joy. 😃
More Wellness!
