Kindness Matters

My Maxim for this Year

This year, I have chosen a guiding phrase—a quiet compass to help me navigate both ordinary days and unexpected storms. The words that keep returning to me again and again are simple yet powerful: Kindness Matters.

Not kindness as a vague idea or a pleasant afterthought, but kindness as an intentional practice. A way of living. A choice.

In a world that often rewards speed over care, volume over listening, and judgment over understanding, kindness can feel almost rebellious. Yet that is precisely why it matters so much. Kindness grounds us. It softens sharp edges. It reminds us that every person we encounter is carrying a story we cannot see.

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What Kindness Matters Means to Me

For me, this maxim is a reminder that words matter, tone matters, pauses matter. How we respond—to success, to frustration, to people who differ from us—matters. Kindness does not mean weakness or silence in the face of wrong. Rather, it means choosing compassion even when it is easier not to.

Kindness is strength with a gentle voice.

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Simple Ways to Live this Maxim

Living out Kindness Matters does not require grand gestures. Most often, it reveals itself in small, daily choices:

• Speak gently, especially when emotions run high. Words linger longer than we realize.
• Listen fully, without planning a response while someone else is still speaking.
• Assume good intent, even when misunderstandings arise.
• Extend grace—to others, and just as importantly, to yourself.
• Offer encouragement freely, whether through a note, a message, or a sincere compliment.
• Pause before reacting, allowing kindness to guide the moment instead of impulse.

Even silence, when chosen thoughtfully, can be an act of kindness.

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Why Kindness Matters—Now More Than Ever

Kindness creates ripples. One small act can ease a burden, mend a fragile moment, or change the course of someone’s day. We may never know the full impact of our kindness, and that is part of its quiet beauty.

As a writer, I believe stories shape hearts. As a human being, I believe kindness shapes the world. When we lead with kindness, we make room for healing, connection, and hope. We remind one another that dignity and compassion are not optional extras; they are essential.

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A Kindness Challenge for the Year

I offer you a gentle challenge—one that requires no special tools, no extra hours in the day, and no perfection.

For the next week (or month, or even the entire year), choose one intentional act of kindness each day.

It does not have to be big. In fact, the smaller and more consistent, the better. For example…

• Smile at a stranger and mean it.
• Text a message of appreciation.
• Let someone go first—on the road, in line, or in conversation.
• Speak kindly about someone who is not present.
• Forgive a small offense and release it quietly.
• Offer yourself patience on a day you fall short.

At the end of each day, pause for a moment and reflect: Where did kindness show up today? Where did I choose it? How did it make a difference?

You may be surprised to discover that kindness not only changes the atmosphere around you—it changes you. It softens the heart, steadies the mind, and reminds us of our shared humanity. If enough of us take up this challenge, even imperfectly, the world will become a little warmer, a little safer, and a little more hopeful. And that, I believe, is reason enough to begin.

Kindness matters. Live like it does.

—Richelle E. Goodrich