“The smallest acts of kindness can have a powerful impact. Be kind.” ~ Lisa Merlo-Booth
Kindness is a potent igniter to love and connection. Regardless of whether you’re talking about a stranger on the street, your best friend, spouse, or child, kindness is the glue to connection. No matter how much you tell others you love them, your lack of kindness will whittle away any relationship.
In romantic relationships, too many people focus on the wrong places. They look for luxury trips, hot sex, beautiful homes and think those fleeting things will be enough to sustain their relationship; they’re not. Having moments of fun together gets old fast when the day-to-day interactions are neutral at best and cold at worst. People want to be treated well, and they want to be treated best by those closest to them. Taking the time to say please and thank you for the thousands of little things your partner does for you goes a long way. Being kind takes just a moment, yet, the impact can last a lifetime.
Kindness is in the minutia. It’s in those little moments that seem inconsequential but show your loved one that you care enough to notice.
- Giving a compliment.
- Offering to do a chore your partner typically does.
- Leaving a kind note on the bathroom mirror.
- Giving random hugs and telling them you’re so glad they’re in your life.
- Spending quality time together.
- Checking in after significant events, meetings, difficult times, or (fill in the blank).
In romantic relationships, kindness should always go both ways. If only one partner is kind, the other partner is burning out the ember. One day, that lack of reciprocity will be the death of the relationship. Don’t ever take one person’s kindness for granted—step up and return the sentiment.
Challenge: Be kind—in your home, at your job, and in the world. If you struggle with being kind, get help to work through this issue. Chances are if you can’t be kind to others, you are not feeling very good in your life. You deserve to feel good just as those around you do.