Kindness is a Choice

Living a life of kindness is a choice. 

It doesn't mean we slide through life without difficulties. It doesn't mean we are delusional or 'blind to reality' either. 

It simply means we have TRAINED OUR MINDS to focus on the good, on beauty, generosity, making a positive difference, and spreading kindness rather than doubt, fear, anger, resentment, bitterness, and spreading negativity.

Special thanks to those who have made the choice to make the world a little bit brighter instead of a little bit darker. ♥ Louise Smith

Train Your Mind

'If you care for your mind, if you nurture it and if you cultivate it just like a fertile, rich garden, it will blossom far beyond your expectations. But if you let the weeds take root, lasting peace of mind and deep inner harmony will always elude you.' ~ Robin Sharma

Either way, you are training your mind. ♥ Louise Smith

Beliefs and Behaviour

Sometimes we get so passionate about our beliefs we become almost rabid in our ways of communicating them.

Whether its politics, religion, fitness, the environment, spirituality, or whatever, we can get so caught up in our own personal beliefs we become guilty of pushing. And we will keep an arsenal of reasons to excuse our behaviour, even though we may not be so kind when others push their beliefs back at us.

It turns into an ugly war of words.

I know. I have been guilty of this myself a few times over the years. It happens easily to passionate people.

That doesn’t make it right. I know this too.

There is a fine balance to respecting your own views and respecting the views of others. Learning how to float through this delicate dance of behaviour takes honesty, integrity, kindness, and a heaping pile of respect.

Mastering the dance takes confidence in yourself and a deeper understanding that you could be right, and you might possibly be wrong, and that’s okay. Reaching this level raises you to a higher level of wisdom and brings a more peaceful energy to the world.

Good luck. ♥ Louise

Gaining Back Inner Peace

I took this to heart.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I found March a strange month. Everyone seemed mad about something.

Even Facebook lost its fun vibe and became a place of misery. Sarcasm became cruel. Opinions became shouting matches. Anger was the emotion of the day (whether people realized they were or not). Even kind lil ole me took a few hits to the head (and heart) from friends who ripped into me for reasons I didn’t understand.

The world was spinning and I needed to get off the ride.

So I tuned out for a while.

By dialing down my interactions with others I gained back free time to spend however I wished. Winter sports and forest hikes/bikes were a priority. Time spent connecting with family and best friends filled my heart with joy. Three rooms got painted – with the rest of the house following. And every nook and cranny of our little place has been cleaned and sorted. Junk hit the curb in an alarming rate.

Sometimes we need to step away from the warp-speed spinning of life to reacquaint ourselves with who we are – what we stand for – what we believe. We need to clear the clutter of our connection to the world at large so that we can clear the clutter from our own inner space. In doing so we rediscover our own spirit and can hear it’s calling with clarity.

And then we can re-enter the big old world - on our own terms.

I FEEL GREAT!!

Never underestimate your own power in creating a peaceful world – even if it’s just yours. You are worth it!

♥ Louise Smith

Live with Kindness

Another letter from such a delightful book. The story itself is incredibly entertaining - and easy to relate to. Enjoy.
<3 Louise Smith

Live With Kindness

It is important to remember that just as our words are our thoughts verbalized, so our deeds are our beliefs actualized. No action, no matter how small, is insignificant – how we treat someone defines how we treat everyone, including ourselves.

If we disrespect another, we disrespect ourselves.

If we are mistrustful of others, we are distrustful of ourselves.

If we are cruel to another, we will be cruel to ourselves.

If we can’t appreciate those around us, we won’t appreciate ourselves.

With every person we engage, in everything we do, we must be kinder than expected, more generous than anticipated, more positive than we thought possible.

Every moment in front of another human being is an opportunity to express our highest values and to influence someone with our humanity. We can make the world better, one person at a time.

~ Robin Sharma
(The 3rd letter in ‘The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’)

Embrace Your Fears

I am enjoying this book immensely! <3 Louise Smith

Embrace Your Fears

What holds you back in life is the invisible architecture of fear. It keeps us in our comfort zones, which are, in truth, the least safe places in which to live.

Indeed, the greatest risk in life is taking no risks.

But every time we do that which we fear, we take back the power that fear has stolen from us – for on the other side of our fears lives our strength. Every time we step into the discomfort of growth and progress, we become more free.

The more fears we walk through, the more power we reclaim. In this way, we grow both fearless and powerful, and thus are able to live the life of our dreams.

~ Robin Sharma
the 2^nd secret letter in ‘The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’

The Power of Authenticity

The Power of Authenticity

The most important gift we can give ourselves is the commitment to living an authentic life. To be true to ourselves, however is not an easy task. We must break free of the seductions of society and live life on our own terms, under our own values and aligned with our original dreams.

We must tap our hidden selves; explore the deep-seated, unseen hopes, desires, strengths and weaknesses that make us who we are.

We have to understand where we have been and know where we are going. Every decision we make, every step we take, must be informed by our commitment to living a life that is true and honest and authentic to ourselves and ourselves alone.

And as we proceed, we are certain to experience fortune well beyond our highest imagination.

~ Robin Sharma 

(from the book The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari)

<3 Louise Smith
(p.s. the picture is of me in the Santa Catalina mountain range)