Hmmm despite the fact that I am more than happy to blow my own trumpet, to sing my own praises, to massage my ego; in fact I do it daily, it is part of my personal psyche and I suppose part of what makes me who I am. I believe that if you do not love yourself, then no one else will either.

Ego (I’m a Leo, click the image for my view on astrology)

However despite that egotistical viewpoint, I am not very comfortable talking/typing about moments when I have exhibited genuine kindness, I suppose it is because I am or at least I try to be kind to people all the time, every single day. I smile at strangers, I tell strangers that their hair looks nice, that they look fantastic in that outfit and I am more than friendly and appreciative to those that serve me whether it be in a shop, at a restaurant or during a stay in a hotel, the service always know that they are appreciated by me, no matter where that service occurs.

So to talk about a genuine act of kindness, for me, means to talk about something above and beyond what I do every day. And I am not happy to do that, that seems to be more than having a healthy self-appreciation or an ego that keeps me going when times are hard or when those negative voices inside my head or from those people that surround us all get too loud (unfortunately, we all have some of those people in our lives, don’t we?).

I’ve earned my bragging rights

That feels more like boasting, bragging, totally self-absorbed and not a healthy thing to be saying out loud, let alone to start believing.

But there is one thing I do regularly that is a genuine act of kindness (although doing it does make me feel good too, so it is not totally altruistic) and that is to play my part in attempts to reclaim anonymous back from all the pathetic haters that troll the internet. Every time I see a horrible negative anonymous message sent to someone, I reply (also anonymously) apologising for being mean and say something nice to them instead. It not only sends a nice anonymous message to someone it also undermines the original anonymous message sender.

Nasty Anonymous

You should do it too, come on, let’s claim anonymous back.

I’m following a couple of brilliant bloggers (Lori at She’s Awake & Chrissa at A Little Wicked) who are undertaking a blog challenge to write 50 lists that will lift your spirits. I love lists, I like having something to blog about and I love them, so I’ve decided to join in.