Choose Being Kind

I’ve been listening to the teachings of Wayne Dyer on You Tube a lot lately. It’s interesting, because I used to work in a bookstore from 1998 to 2002 and all these books were in my face on a daily basis…books about spirituality, yoga, and teachings from people like Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, etc. But I never picked one up. I never read any of those books at that time in my life. I guess I wasn’t ready to receive those lessons. However, seeing them planted a seed of curiosity that is still blooming and growing and thriving as I move forward in life. 

As I’m listening to the teachings of Dr. Dyer, one quote that has stood out for me is: “If you have the choice between being right and being kind, choose being kind” Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. It seems so simple, right? Just be kind. However, when you’re in the heat of feeling a strong emotional response about something, being kind is one of the hardest things to do. Twice today, I caught myself wanting to react to my emotional response to two different people in which I considered myself right and them wrong. I paused rather than reacting. I considered what would be the result of my saying what I really wanted to say and the judgement that I wanted to dispense? What difference would it make to the disappointment that I felt? It really wouldn’t change anything. Reacting and being “right” would have only fed my ego’s desire. The ego wants to be heard; the ego wants to be right; the ego wants to be in control; the ego wants. Any answers I received would have not been any different had I reacted to my emotion. The answers would have still been the same and there would have been no other resolution. The ultimate resolution is to be kind. When you’re unkind, it may damage them, but even moreso, it damages you. When you dispense judgement, harsh words, and being right, you are creating ripples of negative energy that well up inside you and are hurled outwards to the world around you. Your ego feels darn good. Yup, I am right and I have let you know! I am better than you. Yada, yada, yada. But your spirit… the light energy in you, will cry and beg for forgiveness. The pain will be felt in your very depth. You may even feel sensation in the body…an ache in your shoulders and neck, or tension in your back or hips. And then you will need to recover from this. I know, because I’ve felt it. When I’ve exercised being right, and being unkind, when it serves no purpose, I’ve felt it inside my very being and in my body. My ego was satisfied, but my true self, that which is egoless, that which is kind, compassionate, and loving…that which is awareness itself, was hurting. You can recover from this. Choose to welcome the lesson, recognize the lesson, and witness the lesson. Being aware changes everything! Being aware, and learning to pause gives you an opportunity to assess. Then, if a response is actually required…a response that you can take the time to prepare and that works towards a resolution through a compassionate lens…then you can act on that. Your spirit and your body will thank you as you won’t be causing harm to others or yourself. I choose to be kind. I may make a mistake now and then and forget to pause or just let my ego have its way, but I choose to strive towards being kind over being right. 

The practice and study of yoga teaches awareness, even if your practice is physical based (the practice of yoga postures) only you will get some insight into awareness. If you want to go deeper, then I highly recommend the practice of Yoga Nidra, which is a form of guided meditation that brings you into a deeper state of awareness through a layered process. It is a wonderful and relaxing practice. I have some prerecorded Yoga Nidra practices available in my Shop and I will let you know when I will be teaching this live. There is also a short practice available on my Freebies page.