‘Kill it with Kindness’ is a phrase my hubby taught me and it’s something we are trying to live by and also teach our kids, friends, work colleagues, whoever crosses our paths.
Thinking about this in the workplace and in our everyday lives, if we were all a little kinder to each other and to ourselves, how much happier would we all be?
Take for example the grumpy response you get from a taxi driver when you’re in a good mood and he isn’t. The awkward silence you have to then endure. I say ‘Kill it with kindness’, don’t mutter under your breath or make a sarcastic retort. Be kind. Be positive. Bring him up to your level, don’t descend down to his.
Our world is often built on a series of assumptions and you’re assuming he’s being grumpy for grumpy’s sake, but this is often not the case. Give people the benefit of the doubt and, although it’s very difficult, put yourself in their shoes. He could be at the end of a very difficult night shift dealing with abusive drunk passengers or been up all night with his poorly newborn baby. You just don’t know, and that’s the point.
By killing it with kindness, you will always make a bad situation a little better, at the very least. The other option will only add fuel to the fire.