​If you are not throwing kindness around like confetti, you are doing it wrong.

Kindness is such a simple word – and it is simple to be as well, as long as we make it a priority.  The world is in a weird place. A place that seemingly has left kindness by the wayside. 

But what we can learn from horses on how kindness matters are essential in how we can live our everyday lives, and implement being kind through all that we do. 

Even when people are out there not being the kindest, it does not mean that is an opportunity to reciprocate that unkindness, instead, make your words matter more than there’s and spread kindness because #wearelifechangers. 

Kindness and safety go hand in hand. It is important to allow people to feel their pieces and in turn, to not simply react and overtake because it is maybe not something you believe. In these times we must step back and ask ourselves, is this the hill we want to go on? So many times we react before clearly thinking things through. It is important to step back and just breathe. Like a horse, as they are intuitive thinkers, we must listen to our guts. When we are kind to one another, we allow others to feel safe in the process. Without safety, you are not able to live.

At Equine Connection, we are always paralleling our experiences with the horses back to real-life situations. As horses have flight mode, we both have flight and fight mode. It seems lately, we are unable to “flight” anywhere and as a result, we are all in fight mode. If we are all in fight mode, we must step back and allow ourselves to bring our heart rate back down. Just like when we work with horses in fight mode, it will never work. They will take flight. No matter what the situation is if you are in fight mode, no one, nothing, will want to be in your presence because they feel unsafe.

We were asked a great question, “… how do you be kind though when you are so passionate about something? I struggle with this sometimes.” I am sure this is something we can all relate to, as when we are excited, whether happily or angrily, about something we so quickly react with our thoughts and experiences. However, in these times, it is important to use the active listening cycle. This allows you to breathe and ensures that you have heard the person correctly. Ask the person to repeat themselves to clarify, so you are able to have a clear idea of what they are trying to say. You have the opportunity to take things down a notch, breath, and allow the person to feel heard.

Since #wearelifechangers, we challenge you to do something kind for another human. Even when faced with a situation when someone is unkind to you, remember to just breathe and absorb what they are trying to say and allow them to be heard. Be the life-changer that you are. Sprinkle kindness. It begins with you.