I am a strong believer of treating others the way you would like to be treated. The kind of energy you put out in the world is the kind you will receive back. Be kind to people, always. You don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e going through. You only know a tiny fraction of a person鈥檚 life, in fact, if they鈥檙e a stranger, you don鈥檛 know anything about them.

You don鈥檛 know if they鈥檙e going through a tough breakup or if someone close to them passed away. So, let鈥檚 be gentle with people, let鈥檚 plant seeds of kindness in other people鈥檚 lives. Because even a smile can make someone鈥檚 day better. When you ask how someone鈥檚 day is, listen, really listen intentionally. People are incredible, we all have a story to tell. We all have struggles and none of us are perfect.

If the barista at Starbucks made a mistake on your order, who cares. Why waste our energy on getting upset over a drink when we can show so much love and grace instead? It鈥檚 not the end of the world.

Because at the end of the day, it鈥檚 your choice whether you are mean or kind. Your circumstances don鈥檛 decide that, your past doesn鈥檛 decide that and the pain you are going through doesn鈥檛 decide that. You are not identified by your pain.

You can the make the decision to let your trials and pain make you kinder. What if we lived in a world where every negative thing we said was replaced by kindness?

We would transform so many people鈥檚 lives. We can make a huge difference in someone鈥檚 life just by the words we use.

So, remember, be gentle with people no matter what.

That person who cut you off in traffic? Instead of flipping them off or yelling outside your window, try smiling and laughing it off instead. You don鈥檛 know them; they could be on their way to the hospital to visit a sick family member. You just never know.

That server who forgot to bring your drinks because it鈥檚 busy and they look stressed? Instead of complaining and not tipping, why not tip extra to make their day so much better!

There is something so beautiful about being kind to everyone around you. Be a light in this world and just keep on loving.

Missed last week鈥檚 column?

Ways to heal from a broken heart

About Lizzie Skelton:

I鈥檓 a fourth-year University student at UBCO.

My goal is to one day go into journalism at UBC Vancouver.

I want to eventually write about controversial and political topics.

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