This month’s theme: HUMILITY
Thoughts from Our Founder
Reflections by Orly Wahba – When I think of humility the first image that comes to mind is a puzzle. Think about a 1,000 piece puzzle. If even just one piece were missing, it’s unlikely that you would frame the puzzle and hang it up on your wall proudly. After all, it would be incomplete. Read More >>
Life Vest Inside Video of the Month – This month’s NEW video release, our Dance for Kindness 2020 Virtual dance, happens to be a perfect tie in to humility. Humility means remembering where you come from and recognizing the beauty even in the seemingly simple.
2020 marked our 9th annual Dance for Kindness. We came off of events in over 50 countries with thousands upon thousands of participants. And then suddenly, NOTHING. We were no longer allowed to gather and connect physically. The WOW factor of the event was gone, but what remained was the authentic connection, the people. We realized that we don’t need shining lights to make an impact, we just need one another. And so we asked people from around the world to join us virtually, so share themselves with us. What came about was nothing short of beautifully humble and inspiring.
I hope you enjoy!
Articles of the Month
How Humility Will Make You the Greatest Person Ever – The key to humility is seeing life as a journey towards cultivating those qualities that bring out the best in ourselves and others and make this world a better place.
The Importance of Humility – Humility is not something we can just achieve; it is so much more than that. We need humility to become better people. Therefore, humility is a construct of human behavior.
What is Humbleness – This past month, one of our amazing YouTube subscribers, Paul Dean Charlton II, reached out with words of kindness and shared a bit about his own journey to spread kindness and goodness into the world through poetry. He shared a couple of his poems with me and we got to talking. I then shared that each month we put out a newsletter focused on a different theme and this month’s theme is focused on humility. Paul emailed me one of his poems and I felt compelled to share it with all of you!
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”
C. S. Lewis
“No matter how high up you get, never forget where you came from.”
Beeru Singh
Act of Kindness
Cultivate humility. Take the time to think about one of your accomplishments or achievements (it can be as big or small as you want). Write down that achievement front and center on a piece of paper. Below it, begin listing all of those who were part of helping you reach that achievement. Whether it was something they taught you, their support or encouragement, challenging you, or being a listening ear. Practicing humility means taking the time to acknowledge that we got to where we are not simply based on our efforts, but also because of the kindness, support, guidance and sometimes the tough love of others.
Question of the Month
How do you remind yourself each day of your place in the world and remain humble, while still pursuing excellence? Share here or in the comments below.
Kindness Media
Photo of the Month
What does this picture make you feel and why? Share your thoughts.
Songs of the Month
Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you. When you get where you’re going, don’t forget to turn back around. And help the next one in line. Always stay humble and kind.
Videos of the Month
How do we find fulfillment in a world that’s constantly changing? Raymond Tang struggled with this question until he came across the ancient Chinese philosophy of the Tao Te Ching. In it, he found a passage comparing goodness to water, an idea he’s now applying to his everyday life.
Books of the Month
Be a Mensch: Unleash Your Power to Be Kind and Help Others – Elisa Udaskin – A collection of humorous stories and practical advice—sprinkled with a healthy dose of Yiddish humor—Be a Mensch shows how to incorporate kindness into your daily life and to help others through difficult situations. It challenges you to get off your tuches and get involved. By living as a mensch, you will not only help others but improve your own life too.
Humble & Kind – Tim McGraw – Inspired by McGraw’s own life experience as his eldest child embarked on her college career, every parent and graduate can relate to Humble and Kind ; with tender clarity, the words reinforce lessons for mindful, compassionate living.
True Humility: Finding Peace and Balance in Today’s Modern Society – Gavin Seah – Gavin was a victim of self-focused behaviours, as he looked for happiness in the wrong areas. Battling with a past soiled by bullying, racism, and ostracisation, he opens up vulnerably with personal stories, enthralling encounters, and shares practical tips on how you can reclaim your peace and balance through the practice of True Humility.
Humble Pie – Jennifer Donnelly – Theo is known for being thoughtless, proud, arrogant, and downright selfish, and he usually gets away with it. But one day, his grandmother decides to bake a giant dessert in the hopes that a slice of humble pie will curb his appetite for misbehavior.
King Hugo’s Huge Ego – Chris Van Dusen – A small king with a pride problem learns an important lesson when a sorceress in disguise causes Hugo’s head to literally swell up. As his head grows larger and larger, Hugo must decide if he will continue to operate with an attitude of superiority or if he will choose a different path and bring his head down to size.
The Tower: A Story of Humility – Richard Paul Evans – This is a story of a man who wants to become great, which means he must have everyone look up to him. He believes to do so, he needs to be higher than everyone so that he can look down on them and they can marvel as they stare up at him.