Have Courage And Be Kind

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope that the holidays were full of love, laughter, family and friends. It has been a busy holiday season for me and I'm excited to get back into the blogging world (yet again).

To start off 2016 I want to talk about The People's Choice Awards that happened on January 6th. A lot of amazing people were honoured at the show, but I want to draw attention to one particular award winner. Ellen DeGeneres won "Favourite Daytime TV Host" and more importantly was the "Favourite Humanitarian" honoree. Here is her speech from the ceremony if you have not yet seen it:

Ellen's goal, of course, is to make people laugh and to make people happy. The speech is riddled with jokes and is wonderfully presented. Supporting the jokes and the laughter Ellen continues to show the importance of loving and being kind to everyone. The best line of the speech is:

"It's a little strange to actually get an award for being nice and generous and kind, which is what we're all supposed to do with one another. That's the point of being a human."

What is so very incredible about Ellen is that she continues to draw attention to the very purpose of being a person, which is to be kind. Your life doesn't have to be full of grand gestures, or donations. Living with kindness, and sharing that kindness is all that it takes. It's the way that you look at people when they are sharing something. It's the way that you actually listen to what they say-- not to respond, but to understand them better. The way you speak to people is so important and the body language that you choose to use. Be open, understanding, and gentle in the way that you speak. It's the little things in the way that you act that make people either feel uncomfortable and unsure of themselves or make them feel welcome and encouraged.

Imagine if everyone worked even just a little everyday to be more accepting and encouraging. Imagine that for a second. Wouldn't that be incredible? Try to be the first person to wave, or smile at someone. Try expressing gratitude more, and encouraging people throughout the day. I've gotten into a habit of wishing everyone a good morning, day, or night, no matter who they are or why I am interacting with them. Perhaps that is something I picked up as a server. It doesn't really matter where I learned it, but it's a habit that I'm conscious to continue. Everyone deserves to have a good day, and I do genuinely wish that for everyone. So why not tell them?

My point here today is, as Ellen says at the end of every episode of her show:

"Be kind to one another"

Cheers to the new year, to being kind, to loving fiercely, and to working hard for what you want.

xo