Kindness for Contextual Benefit

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Dear Friends,

I’m going to share a mini-manifesto that’s half-formed and needs your help to breathe into life. It’s a chick embryo still soaked in primordial soup, eyelids stuck together yet rushed by an instinct to peck at the constricting casing. 🐣

As some of you know, I’ve been teaching Write of Passage students how to overcome writer’s block and 2X their potential by befriending difficult emotions, and being kind to themselves. It is both obvious and non-intuitive at the same time. Of course we should be kind to ourselves. Duh! But in our minds the kind way is often perceived as the “slow, soft way.” Or something that we should do when we have the time to do it, as a separate self-care ritual.

At least that’s how my mind debates with me—there’s no time to be kind. Instead, let’s judge what I am/am not doing and feel bad about it! Hence, the framework of seeing kindness as a more efficient/productive path becomes a way I can turn my mind against its own tricks.

My inner world where I debate my subconscious mind…and yes I caved and listened to the new Taylor Swift album even though I’m kinda disappointed (but of course her new song anti-hero addresses my disappointment)

I’m working on a kindness-based framework for helping students uncover their personal mission/monopoly. Historically I’ve helped friends with theirs, and feel confident that I can always see the best in people.

My ultimate goal is to expand this idea into more business applications, and leverage capitalism’s existing machinery to spread kindness and compassion. While I admire teachers like Sharon Salzberg and Thich Nhat Hanh who speak and write about kindness and compassion in the workplace, I have often felt that the tactics provided can be quite vague. Sure, we can meditate or practice gentle speech at work to be nice, but…can we do so with more “contextual kindness” designed to benefit business goals as well?* I feel privileged to have discovered this angle for writing. Hence, I’m extending my investigations towards business benefits for writing first, as the bridge towards kindness.

Question for you to build out this mini-manifesto:

Are there existing ideas/frameworks with kindness towards oneself as a practical productivity/goal-driven tactic?

Warm Wishes,

Christin

*Not saying that we shouldn’t do things to be nice, but being realistic in addressing existing business incentives and how they often lead to unkind behaviors.