I. The kindest people are not born that way, they are made. They are the souls that have experienced so much at the hands of life, they are the ones who have dug themselves out of the dark, who have fought to turn every loss into a lesson. The kindest people do not just exist they choose to soften where circumstance has tried to harden them, they choose to believe in goodness, because they have seen firsthand why compassion is so necessary. They have seen firsthand why tenderness is so important in this world.
II. Surround yourself with people who are doing the work to heal themselves. Surround yourself with those who want to talk to you about ideas rather than other human beings. Surround yourself with people who love and respect themselves, people who are gentle and kind and who encourage connection. Surround yourself with people who genuinely show up in your life, people who don't just want attention, or praise, or validation from you. Surround yourself with those who want to grow with you. These people will change your life.
III. Being understood fosters a different kind of intimacy that is untouchable. The rarest, most profound kind of connection you are going to experience will not be with the person who instantly gratifies you, but rather, with the kind of human being who sees you clearly. Ask yourself who makes you feel the most you? Who sees you in ways you don't see yourself? Who pours calm and ease into the heart of you? Those people who came to mind are rare and beautiful gifts. Never take them for granted.
IV. Do not just be thankful for the things you deem positive in life. Be thankful for the emotions you also deem negative, because it is within the darkness that we grow to appreciate the light. The hardest things in life are building you, and reminding you of your capacity to overcome. At the end of the day, nothing you have experienced thus far has defeated you. There is power in reminding yourself of that. You are capable of braving the storms, that is what they are there to teach you.
V. Please don't ever forget that so many human beings you come into contact with are all trying to heal themselves from the things they often do not discuss. Always choose to be kind. Always choose grace.