Choose Kindness
- Arlene Laskey
- Jan 15
- 4 min read
Choose Kindness in all things
Most decisions in life are choices. I often hear someone say "I had no choice," but that is not usually the case. Your choices may be limited, and the alternatives may be very distasteful, but there is almost always a choice. Choose kindness whenever possible.
Sometimes you can choose to be right or you can choose to be kind. Does your being right and showing your superiority really benefit anyone? There are times, yes, when you must stand up for what is right, safe, respectful for all those involved.
But sometimes, can you just let the other person maintain their dignity? I believe so. At times, the right thing to do is to choose kindness.
Choose Kindness This Week
Every year around this time, the Master Key Experience community celebrates Kindness Week. We even have a website where anyone can post kindness comments. We have a challenge to post over 2400 kind comments this week!
You can go there right now and post your own kindness, or comment on someone's kindness: https://2025-26.masterkeyexperience.blog/be-kind/
What's the purpose of that, you ask?
In the Master Key Experience (MKE) course, we do an exercise called the Franklin Makeover. This is based on something created by Benjamin Franklin, with an MKE twist. We choose a word to focus on each week, a word that signifies something we want to improve in our lives.
For instance, this week we focus on the word ‘kindness’ and as we focus on that word we see kindness in others, and kindness in ourselves. We may even change our behavior to perform more acts of kindness.
Through the Law of Growth, these attributes expand in our lives, and by the end of each week the attribute has become a part of our self-concept.
Now, imagine that Law of Growth multiplied by all the people, past and present, involved in the Master Key Experience, and all the people we share with! When everyone is thinking kind thoughts, doing kind activities, noticing kindness in others - then the world becomes a kinder place!
And I would say that the world needs a bit more kindness right now, wouldn't you?
Kindness and the Camino de Santiago
You may have noticed that I like to share stories from the Camino. Well, kindness is found in abundance there. From donativo albergues (hostels) and donativo rest stops (pictured above), to pilgrims and local residents helping pilgrims in a multitude of ways.
The donativo concept is beautiful. These donativo albergues are generally manned by volunteers or church members, and pilgrims pay what they can to keep the facility running. These are often the most memorable albergues, full of that Camino spirit that pilgrims love. Read more here.
Donativo rest stops seem to pop up just when you need them the most. The one above was beautiful. The hosts were local people who made it their mission to provide for pilgrims. They provided a wide selection of fruits, drinks, and baked goods.
These are not ‘for profit’ – rather they invite you take what you need, and if you can, to leave a donation. When considering a donation, it is important to keep in mind that someone is still purchasing the food that you are eating. A few of these were very memorable.
Pilgrimage is all about kindness and humility. Pilgrims are humble, and tend to be kind to each other, and the locals are kind to the pilgrims.
One foggy morning we walked for a bit with a local man who said he just liked to walk and talk with the pilgrims, and practice his English (which was excellent). He told us about the history of the area, and gave us advice on which path to take when the Camino split into two. This kind Spaniard became a character in my book!
Kindness and the Master Key Experience
I find the MKE ‘pilgrims’ are just as generous as any on the Camino. I was fortunate enough to meet some in person when I attended the Live Event retreats in 2019 and 2024. Since then I have been Masterminding virtually with this amazing group.
I believe I could ask almost anything of these people and be greeted with kindness and generosity.
Here’s a quote from Mark J, the founder of the Master Key Experience, about kindness, in his book Standing Tall:
"The riches of kindness help all of us believe the world is good, evolving and getting better. With this belief, our world within grows great things effortlessly.
Your kindness is your legacy, make it remarkable by forgetting self and thinking of others. It will return to you ten-fold and as it does, it will train your world within that the world with truly is perfect and all it will take to complete its perfection are random acts of kindness delivered in copious quantities. Take joy in doing yours everyday." Mark Januszkewski, Standing Tall
Choose Kindness Now
Let’s start a Kindness Pandemic! That would be better than a Covid pandemic, right? Be kind. Pick up garbage. Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in the drive-through at Tim Horton’s (Canadian). Give everyone you meet an authentic compliment. Help someone. Smile.
Be kind to yourself. Get enough sleep. Exercise. Read positive literature. Use the Law of Substitution to replace any negative thoughts with positive ones, and the Law of Growth to find even more kindness! Smile!
Whatever type of pilgrim you may be, see the kindness, share the kindness, and spread the love!
To close I want to share a fun quote I came across:
“Kindness is free, sprinkle that stuff everywhere.” Unknown
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