Related to the above, I’m going all Brené Brown-like on peeps in my life and letting them know I’m not “nice!”

Or, in practice, I’m flat out letting them know that I actually loathe the word. It’s bland, hollow, Kumbaya-esk in energy. It gives no depth, no color, no authentic vulnerability.

But, KIND.. well… a completely different story. You see, my experience is that any self-identity of “nice” often leads to passive-repressive, people-pleasing behaviors (i.e., telling people what they want to hear).

I’ve found that when you approach your interpersonal connections through a “kind” mind — attached to a curious, empathic, caring soul — you maintain that head-to-heart connection so often needed to ensure cooperation, alignment and win-win arrangements.

From there, heart, drive, and passion tend to be a natural offshoot !

~ Barry Goss