This Year, What If We Resolved to Be Kinder?
Every January, the resolution list looks pretty familiar.
Lose weight. Exercise more. Drink less. Get back to the things you have been meaning to get back to. The list is almost always about changing something about yourself.
And while self-improvement has its place, what if this year we tried something different?
A different kind of resolution
The past few years have reminded most of us, in ways that are hard to forget, how fragile life is and how much we need each other. We have lost people. We have watched communities struggle. We have seen what happens when kindness runs low and what happens when it shows up unexpectedly.
So this year, instead of resolving to be a better version of yourself, what if you resolved to make the world around you a little better?
Just one or two of these is enough to start:
Show compassion, even to the person who cuts you off in traffic. Their aggression almost always comes from pain.
Live with intentional kindness. Not grand gestures. Just consistent, quiet kindness in the ordinary moments.
Give what you can. An old coat to Goodwill. An hour at the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. A small donation to something that matters. Someone will feel the difference.
Choose peace over reaction. When someone snaps at you, pause. Remember that people who are hurting often hurt others. Snapping back rarely helps.
Be thoughtful in small ways. A note in a lunchbox. A text that says you are thinking of someone. A handwritten letter to a person who would love to receive one. These things cost almost nothing and land more than you know.
Why this works
Resolutions about self-improvement often fail because they are hard and the reward is distant. Resolutions about kindness tend to stick because the reward is immediate. You see it in the other person’s face. You feel it in yourself.
Kindness spreads. It moves faster than most of us realize. Pay it forward and see what comes back.
Happy New Year from all of us at Holistic Consultation.
If you are looking for support as you step into the new year, we are here.
Want to learn more or schedule? Book a free 10-minute call with our Intake Coordinator or reach out through our contact page.