THE DAILY SPARK

If it's just the right amount of necessary kindness, it's not really kindness.  It's pleasantness.  If the people in our circle begin to experience behavior that's kinder than necessary, the expectations for what's necessary will ratchet forward, making everything more pleasant.  And... being kind is a lovely way to spend your day.  (Compare this to an alternative: "be as selfish as you can get away with." Hardly worth going down that path.)Quote by Seth Godin - his Daily BlogREFLECTION:Are you kinder than necessary or are you offering the right amount of necessary kindness?How can you ratchet up kindness today?Surprise someone!

Julia Butterfly I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life, because I learned early that if you don't, you get disappointed a lot.  If you do, you might be pleasantly surprised quite often.  I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain.  I re-read passages from my favorite books.  I hold the little treasures that somebody special gave me.  By keeping my eyes open for unexpected joys, I find the world gives back more than we sometimes think.Quote by Dolly PartonREFLECTION:Are your eyes open for unexpected joys?What little things do you appreciate?What is the world giving back to you today?

Baby Chick (hummingbird) being fed by Mom Hummingbird I always did something I was a little not ready to do.  I think that's how you grow - when there's that moment of, "Wow, I'm really not sure I can do this," and you push through.Quote by Marissa Mayer (an early employee of Google and eventually the CEO of Yahoo)REFLECTION:How often do you do things you are not quite ready to do?Do you typically stay within your comfort zone or do you push yourself to try new things?Was there a time you pushed through doubt and accomplished something even you thought you couldn't?Can you do it again?