Cruel to be kind

Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for over a year, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

This week, Froggie chose the topic:  Great strengths that are also great weaknesses 

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.

Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock


This topic was a challenge for me. I was first thinking about how when you go to a job interview, you tell people your weaknesses based on strengths. (Ex. "Too much of a perfectionist.") Then I gave it some more thought and came up with one that fits the bill....KINDNESS.

In this day and age, I think it takes a lot of strength to be kind vs. being mean. It's easy to be mean. I even have my mean moments (at least my kids think so). Kindness takes a lot of patience and vigilance. You have to think before you act. Would the world be a better place if everyone were kind? Sure. However, movies would be so boring without a villain. I was thinking about the recent version of Cinderella and how her mother tells her to always be kind. Even when dealing with her evil stepmother and spoiled stepsisters, she somehow maintains her kind demeanor. If I were her, I would have been exacting revenge on them any chance I got! Of course, it's a fairy tale so kindness wins out. However, my own level of kindness has not gone unnoticed and has been rewarded in some ways, even when I wasn't looking for such rewards. It's nice to get a shout-out from someone just for being my kind self. :)

On the other hand, kindness can render someone weak. It's so easy to be stepped on and treated poorly when you're always kind. Especially if you excuse such behaviors in an effort to not hurt the feelings of someone who could care less about hurting yours. It's also easy to be taken for granted, like that you'll always be kind. When you have a bad day and lash out about it, it's somehow a huge shock because you're almost expected to be pleasant all the time. It leads to passivity and the concept that "nice girls (or guys) finish last."

In the long run, I'd rather be known for being kind than for being a cut-throat go-getter. I have my ambitions, but I'm not about to step on someone to get what I want. I just have to find the delicate balance between being kind and not being stepped on in return.