Be Kind to Yourself First!

There are people out there who do many good things for many people, or do amazingly good things on one particular person. We celebrate these people, and thank them sometimes, (and sometimes not). Regardless of the celebrations and thanks though, these amazing kind people keep on doing their kind things, because that's the kind of people they are.

If you are one of these lovely kind people, whether a worker, volunteer,

loved one or community member, thank you very much. Your actions deserve to be front page news, because it's people like you who make our lives worth living. You help out for little or no pay, you step in and do things when needed, where others would step away and do nothing.

Your are kind to many, and possible too few thank you for all you do. The thanks are not why you do the kind things you do, you simply believe in doing the right and kind thing. I thank you for the good and kind things you do, You help to make the whole world a better place for all, because you show everyone around you that good things happen, and believing in the possibility of good can warm our hearts and keep us going when things seem too hard.

So, many thanks you, you wonderful kind people, but ... There's always a but, isn't there. This is an important one, please pay attention to this ... Doing good for others is a wonderful thing to do, but the most important person you must always remember to do good things for, the person you should be kind to first, is YOURSELF!

If you're always too busy being kind to other people, and never have any time left to do good things for yourself, you will burn out, the well of kindness will dry up and you will eventually not be able to do anything at all, no good things and no kind actions, you will have run out of the good things. The best way to refill your well of kindness is to top it up regularly, and the easiest way to keep on top of that is to do good things for yourself first!

Yes YOU, put your name at the top of the list of people to be kind to, to good things for, because when you are kind to yourself, you have more to give to other people. Being good to yourself doesn't drain the well of kindness, it fills it up. So when your a parent, and you want to reward your child with something yummy, because they've done something well, Get yourself something yummy too.

If you're helping someone with their garden, or their shopping, get something good for yourself from the garden - a flower, a strawberry, a cutting, or buy yourself something extra while you're buying the shopping for the other person.

If you're taking someone out for the day, why not take them somewhere you want to go too, not just where they want to go. The kinder you are to yourself, the happier and more productive you'll be, give it a try, and see for yourself!

Stop & Let the Sunshine In

When life kicks you down, and you go on again and again travelling the same dark and dirty roads, you'll never heal. Step out into life's sunshine, and let the sun shine its healing light down on you.

Healing takes time, and if you go on and on doing the wrong thing, stupid things, things that have hurt you in the past, you won't have time to heal. When you take the time to rest, be mindful - look at what's wrong in your life, then you may have time to heal from the pain you're suffering from.

So look around you, see who's doing well, and what it is they're doing. Can you change what you're doing in life, and take on some of what they're doing? Find the things that bring true happiness to your life. Flowers, puppies, kittens, friends, good food. 

Whatever it is, try to get more of it. Don't concern yourself with other people, concern yourself with yourself. When you learn to care about yourself, in truly caring ways, ways that bring good things to your heart and soul, then you can beging the healing process.