Earlier this month I had the privilege of sharing You Matter cards and being in community with over 100 open-hearted human beings at The Omega Institute: Cultivating a Kindness Revolution Ted Lasso Style workshop.
I must admit, with all that’s going on in the world I arrived at the workshop a bit weary. But it didn’t take long to feel my energy lift as I breathed in the words of the inspiring speakers and felt the humanity and goodness of the other participants. The same goodness I feel when I think of each of you – our amazing and generous community of You Matter card givers. Since you all couldn’t join me at the conference I want to share a few highlights.
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- Kindness is subversive by nature
- Kindness lives in the space between stimulus and response
- People are inherently good
- I don’t think kindness is rare. I think not being afraid is rare
- Fearlessness inherent in kindness
- Kindness is not broadcast. We gotta get slower and closer in our lives
- Watch what we’re consuming on social media. Consume media that is good
- for your heart. Unfollow those who are hateful, hurtful, or cruel
- Surround yourself with people who support your soul.
- The underpinning of kindness is the belief that compassion is infinite
- The opposite of kindness is scarcity
- Choose to believe that people are kind and expect it in yourself and others
- Call out kindness when you see it
I met a wonderful kindness revolutionary named Mollie Reinhart who started a generous community movement in Richmond, Virginia called Befriend which is dedicated to connection through compassion. If you’re in the Richmond area check it out!
Meditation instructor, Dawn Mauricio talked about the value and importance of being kind to ourselves which she described as providing an “unconditional well- wishing for ourselves, just as we are.” “Getting intimate with our own suffering gives us more capacity to connect with the suffering of others and realize our
interconnection with all human beings.”
La Sarmiento, another amazing teacher, said that “true freedom comes from a heart that is ready for anything and we should not believe everything we think!”
Mary Latham channeled her grief from her mother’s death by travelling to every state in the U.S. to collect stories of human kindness. You can learn more about her inspiring journey at https://www.moregood.today/.
The final speaker, Jessica Morey, shared the “Spiral of the Work that Reconnects”, which is a 4-stage model based in the teaching of Joanna Macy.
- Coming from gratitude
- Honoring our pain for the world
- Seeing with new eyes
- Taking action because of what we love about the world.
Lastly, some suggestions for being a kindness revolutionary:
Find people who are already helping and help them.
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- Start in your community
- Take a risk
- Continue sharing You Matter cards!
Cheryl Rice, Founder
https://youmattermarathon.org/
