As I was vacationing in the Exuma Islands, and preparing for our Internet Radio Show Life: Flat to Fabulous, I got to thinking about the island culture and lifestyle. Bob Marley immediately popped into my brain. He was such an iconic figure with many wonderful insightful messages.
“Overcome the devils with a thing called love.” ~ Bob Marley
Everything is energy… and love is an energy that can conquer anything! The ‘devils’ Bob Marley is referring to are those things giving you serious trouble in your life. The solution is love and it’s derivative kindness.
Choosing to come from a place of love and kindness may not always impact others the way you hope but it will always leave you feeling good and aligned with your soul. You can’t control other people’s responses to your kindness but you can make the decision to be kind. To stand in a place of integrity and that will never lead you astray. Ever.
Maybe the reason why those ‘devils’ are in your life is from a lack of love and kindness. If you can turn up the kindness in your life it should follow that you’re haunted by fewer and fewer demons. And taking it one step further another quote by Bob Marley says:
“One love, one heart. Let’s get together and feel all right”
Quantum physics is showing us more and more that we’re all in this together, so this lyric was way before its time. To me ‘One love, one heart’ refers to the fact that we are all interconnected and therefore you should treat others how you want to be treated. Put more love and kindness into the world and it will grow!
Focus on all of the things that bring joy and love into your world and watch the ‘devils’ dissipate.
Now that’s not to say you should be a doormat!
A combination of kindness and assertiveness is the magical elixir when dealing with people.
Mixing in too much deference for others and not enough hard-headed pursuit of your own goals can leave you feeling off kilter.
There can be disadvantages if you are “too nice”.
You forget to be nice to yourself!
People may see you as weak…
And take advantage! This is what happens when you too quickly put your needs aside in favor of the needs of others. You have to be very clear about what you’re expecting in return, if anything, from your kindness. If you have no expectations then that is fine but if you feel you may not get the outcome you are looking for then you need to question your motives and make sure they are coming from a place of authenticity and love.
You attract the wrong kind of people.
Kindness is a requirement for healthy and meaningful relationships, but an inability to set boundaries can come across as an invitation to those with draining emotional needs. Be excessively nice and you may start to attract needy, overly emotional, demanding/controlling, people. I am sure you know what kind of people I am talking about. You want people in your life who can handle some negativity and don’t mind you setting boundaries. People who understand the meaning of respect.
Some people find it hard to believe in the kind sincerity of others. It can be human nature to expect the worst of people. If you are truly nice, you may be misunderstood and even viewed with suspicion by some distrusting people. Some people will always look for an ulterior motive. Sad but true. People who live their life with an ulterior motive will always be expecting others to have that as well. You never know what someones has been through in their lives so try and have some compassion for those you lack trust.