Kindness never gets old. I haven’t ever said, as I walked away from a person, they are too kind.

Yet, we can easily forget the power of small gestures of kindness; opening a door for someone, allowing them to cut in front of you in line at the grocery store or waving someone in on the freeway.

Kindness has legs and can travel long distances in our relationships with others – or even strangers.

It’s not complicated. It’s not even really that difficult either.

It takes self-awareness to drop our ego and a few seconds of unselfishness.

And it goes a long way.

Kindness. Try it out.

What does it take to feel alive?

Before we answer with a response that most-likely will be categorized as ‘good.’ Such as, being out with friends on the town having the time of my life – which, no doubt would fall into this category. Let’s refrain from defining the experience as either good or bad.

I certainly know I feel alive when running 13 miles. Or doing an ab workout or going through a real crisis situation with friends or family. Are those good? Or bad?

My point is this; there are numerous ways to feel alive if we’re open to what life brings us no matter what it is.

Rather than having unrealistic or delusional expectations hoping that everything in our lives will be good and somehow we can avoid ‘painful’ moments, let’s try to embrace what comes our way and genuinely feel where we are in the present moment.

There’s an ebb and flow to life. It’s impossible to only experience one side of the pendulum swing. ‘Good’ or ‘bad.’

Maybe we can focus on feeling alive instead.

It can never hurt to be more intentional throughout our day.

Whether it’s, what we intend to accomplish? What we intend to learn? Or who we intend to meet?

Being clear with ourselves eliminates the clutter, the distractions and the noise in order for us to focus on what’s important to us.

Unless of course your intention is to meander all day.

Let’s get intentional.

No matter what has happened to us up to this point, it’s important to remember we can always begin again.

No matter how many times we’ve made a poor decision. . .

No matter how many times we’ve ‘failed’. . .

No matter how we view ourselves. . .

No matter how we think others view us. . .

No matter how many obstacles we believe are between us and our goals. . .

No matter how many times we didn’t get the result we were looking for. . .

No matter how often we treated others less than. . .

No matter where we’ve come from or where we’re heading. . .

No matter who you associated with yesterday . . .

No matter how many times someone has told you, ‘you can’t’ . . .

It’s important to remember, we’re not dead yet. Which means we’re still in the game. Which means anything can be the gateway to everything.

We can begin again.

I know for me, so much of what’s going on in my mind – which can and often -dictates the mood I’m in – is an illusion or another words, False Evidence Appearing Real (F.E.A.R.).

Why is it so challenging to wake up to a new day with a clean slate – a fresh perspective? Acquiring the knowledge from our past experiences, but allowing the current moment to unfold without us getting in the way with our mental baggage.

We are creatures of the past and the future and rarely the present. To the point where we can obsess about events that haven’t happened and most likely will not happen, yet can throw us into a tailspin of anxiety and procrastination. I know,. I’ve been there. . . . More than twice. . . . More than thrice. Okay. Alot.

Then I have to remind myself that every new moment is an opportunity for a fresh start and the gateway to anything where all things are possible. A new beginning.

And I can choose to drag the baggage of the past along with me, or I can choose to leave it behind. After all, it’s my choice.