Did you know that being kind often involves courage?

It can also mean being vulnerable, standing up for yourself, taking risks and getting out of your comfort zone. We live in a society that values logic, hard work, achievement and success and by doing so, it can be hard to pay attention to our intuition, feelings, to step outside of cultural norms and do what we need to do to be (kind to) ourselves. 

Here are the 12 Courageous Ways to Be Kind to Yourself:

1. Be BIG and BOLD – live your life your way!
2. Remember – your flaws give you style and personality! It’s you and your perfect!
3. Ask yourself daily – what do I need to thrive today? Then claim it.
4. Your feelings are signals, accept them and listen to them – always! It’s not a sign of weakness.
5. Rejection proves you’re doing something courageous! When someone knocks you down it only means that you were above them – move on.
6. Forgive yourself. Period. Repeat…
7. Stop tolerating – it’s not noble to allow things to drain you. How good are you willing to have it?
8. Life is too short to ‘should of ‘, ‘would of’, ‘could of’ on yourself. Take action! Go play!
9. Rushing makes everyone miserable. Do less and take your time. Breath…
10. Gather a ‘spark team’ of people who think you’re awesome, because you are!
11. Stop worrying what others think. Instead ask, “What do I think?”
12. Stand up for yourself – if not you, then who will?

Kindness is such an important and underrated quality! But it’s not always easy, especially finding ways to be kind to yourself…

(compiled from Coaching Tools)

RICK RUPPENTHAL is a professional Personal and Leadership Transformational Coach and a Certified Change Practitioner. As a retired paramedic of 30 years, Rick has held positions in leadership, education, as a coach and a mentor. Through those experiences, understanding, and adaptability, Rick has dedicated his life to a continual journey of self-discovery, adventure, and guiding others on their own journey of being their best self.