What do we value the most? Are we valuing ourselves, our children, our friends, our families, people in general or do we value things (jobs, money, materials) more? You, the human being are the most valuable commodity.
Value means relative worth of something, utility or importance.
Human capital relates to the accumulation of competencies, knowledge, personality attributes embodied in an individual and the ability to perform and produce value.
Creating value is linked to acts of kindness.
Using the power of intention, having an open heart, mind, and spirit will produce a constructive pattern for creating value.
These practices fashion optimistic changes as well as inspired results.
In the coming year, we should strive to understand how valuable we are to a successful future, as well as how to create value.
What are acts of kindness? Acts of kindness are selfless acts performed by a person or persons wishing to assist or cheer up an individual.
They are either spontaneous or planned in advance.
Making others feel valued can be done easily by acts of kindness.
Telling a person how important they are, how much we appreciate them and how much we love them can assist in establishing value.
Spending more time listening empathetically to others and less time talking to them can make an individual feel valued.
Complete strangers can create value in others by acts of kindness.
Kindness in action A few years ago, there was a bad snow storm in Michigan.
I was driving with my young infant daughter in the car, on the expressway, in the late afternoon.
My car started to suddenly lose power but I was able to successfully pull off on to the shoulder of the expressway.
The snow was heavy and visibility was low.
My thoughts were that my daughter and I would freeze on this expressway, as all of the windows became covered with snow.
I knew I had to do something.
I did not have a cell phone or anyway to contact anyone.
Feeling completely helpless, I decided that I should try to walk up the expressway ramp to a gas station that I could barely see, in the distance.
A Complete stranger helps As I started to walk up the icy ramp with my baby daughter tightly wrapped in my arms, a truck approached.
A man asked" Do you need any help".
I replied "No, I am fine, thanks".
He kept following me and shouted" Ma am, here is my cell phone.
He then tossed his cell phone out of the truck towards me.
After that he threw his license out the car.
He stated "Please ma am, call your husband, the police, somebody and give them all of my information, including the make and model of my car.
Ask them would it be okay for me to take you to safety.
He expressed that he could not allow us to keep walking along the icy ramp and that we could easily be killed in this weather.
I finally took the strangers advice and called my husband.
My husband spoke to the guy and told me to take the ride to the gas station, where he arrived shortly soon after.
The guy turned out to be a police officer.
He stated to my husband "I do not know why but I felt compelled to help your wife.
It is like I knew I had to secure them to safety".
I was thankful and felt blessed for his persistence and his act of kindness.
I can remember numerous times I was helped in times of need.
I strive to return acts of kindness to others as much as I can.
We must use a power of intention to be better and have an open spirit, heart and mind in order to truly be helpful to others as well as develop ourselves.
Having an Open Spirit When our spirit is open, we are able to understand (know) where our true source of power resides and this allow us to surrender the things that hinder and block our potential and accept the things that help us become better, stronger in our development.
Having an Open Heart When our heart is open, we can listen diagnostically to others, seeking to find indicators that will allow us to assist them.
We should truly be listening for the depth associated with an individuals issues in order to help redirect them, if needed.
We also must empathetically listen to others, being compassionate and sensitive to their thoughts, feeling and emotions.
Having an Open Mind When our mind is open, we can inquire and reflect on up-to-date things that we are experiencing without judgment.
We must be able to suspend our routine thought patterns and dysfunctional patterns of action and open up our minds to new facts, technologies and information.
Practice makes potentialities possible! Does acts of kindness change brain chemistry? Yes! Acts of kindness can produce appreciation which can alter brain chemistry positively by elevating our moods and elevating our sense of well-being.
Do it with kindness! We need to create value in others and value ourselves.
Acknowledge the human capital that is present in all of us and understand how valuable we are to the success of the future.
Being kind to others is a start.
Taking action with a corresponding kind practice is what will help us become better and make us feel more valuable in the coming year.
Use the power of intention and let us strive to make kindness contagious.
Happy New Year!