Be Kind to Unwind

Having a bad day?

Boss tore apart your best laid plans?

Ambushed in a meeting?

Argument with your spouse?

Colleague said something snide?

Passive aggressive employee doubling down on their disruptive thing?

Well that sucks.

Now what are you going to do? Pass on all that negative emotion to the people around you? Sulk in your office for the rest of the day? Call your coach?

Well if you call me, here’s what you’re going to hear.

Get out.

And by that, I mean get out of the office, head to the nearest coffee shop, convenience store, fast food place… wherever someone will be in place to provide you with service. And then, be really super kind to them. Tell a little joke. Give them a compliment. Talk about the weather even, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you snap out of your negative mindset and actively seek to offer positivity to someone else.

When I was in university, I worked as a grocery store cashier. It was for sure the most physically exhausting job I’ve ever had, but it was mentally exhausting too, because scanning groceries was so mind numbingly boring. The line of customers never ended, they tended to blend into each other and most of them were fairly cranky if not completely miserable. The monotony was marked only by the steadily growing pain in my feet and lower back.

But, if a pleasant customer came my way, the power of their positive energy could buoy me until the end of my shift.

That’s powerful.

Imagine. Little old you, just being a lovely human being can have a significant impact on someone’s life, even if only for a day.

And, a little kindness can have a significant impact on you too. It reminds you that there’s life outside your office walls. It reminds you that positive energy exists in the world, and that you can create it at will. And most importantly, it takes your focus off you and puts it on a much better thing - the flourishment of others.

So give it a try. And for that matter, don't wait for a bad day.

Do it today.