We Always Have a Choice - Mean or Kind

Although this book is written from the point of view of a ten-year-old, it is meant to speak to the child that still lives inside each of us.

The part of the brain responsible for decision making and understanding consequences does not fully develop until around the age of twenty-five. This is one of the many reasons childhood is so important. Some of us are forced to grow up quickly depending on the circumstances in which we are raised, and once we reach adulthood, many of us begin to focus only on ourselves.

The problem is that when we become self-centered or exclusive, we make it difficult for others to receive what they need. But imagine a world where we shifted that focus. What if we all made the choice to be kind, even to those who seem unkind?

No one comes into the world mean. Most of the time, there is something behind the behaviour. What if we paused to learn more before jumping to conclusions? In my own life, I have often encountered people who seem difficult or unkind. I have learned to listen first and only respond when they are open to hearing me.

Because most of the time, their actions are not really about us. They are about something much deeper inside of them.