Voices
6. LEARN TO APOLOGIZE.
Not the ridiculous, self-deprecating apologizing for who you are
and for existing that some people
seem to do (what’s up with that,
anyway?). The ability to sincerely
apologize — without ever interjecting the word “but” — is an
essential skill for living around
other human beings. If you are
going to be around other people,
eventually you will need to apologize. It’s an important practice.
7. PRACTICE GRATITUDE.
Practice it out loud to the people
around you. Practice it silently
when you bless your food. Practice
it often. Gratitude is not a firstworld-only virtue. I saw a photo
recently, of a girl in abject poverty,
surrounded by filth and destruction. Her face was completely lit
up with joy and gratitude as she
played with a hula hoop she’d
been given. Gratitude is what
makes what we have enough.
Gratitude is the most basic way to
connect with that sense of being
an integral part of the vastness of
the universe; as I mentioned with
looking up at the stars, it’s that
sense of wonder and humility,
contrasted with celebrating our
connection to all of life.
KATE
BARTOLOTTA
HUFFINGTON
10.06.13
8. BE KIND.
Kurt Vonnegut said it best
(though admittedly, and somewhat ashamedly — I am not a
Vonnegut fan): “There’s only one
rule that I know of, babies — ‘God
damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’”
Kindness costs us nothing and
pays exponential dividends. I
can’t save the whole world. I can’t
bring peace to Syria. I can’t fix the
environment or the health care
The more we stick to
these scripts about who we
are, the longer we live a
fraction of the life we could
be living. Let it go. Be who
you are beneath the bullshit.”
system, and from the looks of it, I
may end up burning my dinner.
But I can be kind.
If the biggest thing we do in
life is to extend love and kindness
to even one other human being,
we have changed the world for
the better.That’s a hell of a lot
more important than flat
abs in my book.
Kate Bartolotta is the owner and
founder of Be You Media Group.