信心、善良與自在 Confidence, Kindness and Feeling at Ease
Confidence, kindness, and feeling at ease are all inborn and interconnected virtues that we possess to live in the world. Confidence allows us to navigate challenges with self-assurance, while kindness fosters positive relationships and a sense of connection. When we own the above-mentioned qualities, we experience a sense of ease and inner peace. Feeling at ease implies a sense of comfort, relaxation, and inner peace. In other words, when we are confident and kind, we are more likely to feel at ease in our minds and in social situations. By actively cultivating confidence, kindness, and a sense of ease, we, definitely, can create more positive and fulfilling lives for ourselves and others.
First of all, confidence is a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of our own abilities or qualities. It’s about believing in ourselves and our capacities to handle situations and achieve goals. It’s also a positive expectation for us to succeed and to deal with challenges. Confidence isn’t just a feeling, but involves the willingness to take action and pursue aims. It’s the belief that we can do something, for sure. Therefore, confidence is the most important resource in human well-being and performance. Further, what we think has a significant impact on changes in our attitudes. Thus, the best way for us to build self-confidence is to act as if we already possess it. This is where visualization can be beneficial. We were all born with confidence, and we can all get it back if we learn harder. By continually practicing and training our brains to be more confident, we would generate a more consistent outlook that results in a more positive attitude. Moreover, confidence doesn’t come from knowing everything, but from knowing that we can handle what comes up. No one in the world knows everything. Everyone is good at some things, but is not good at other things. If someone criticizes us, we take it as an opportunity to improve. If someone does better than us, we should see it as an chance to learn from them. Even confident people lose jobs, relationships, and sometimes, their health. Hence, when we realize that the twists and turns have nothing to do with what we did or should have done, it’s easier for us to feel confident in the world.
Secondly, kindness involves a spirit of helpfulness, being generous and considerate, without expecting anything in return. Rather than viewing kindness exclusively as an action, giving kindness often is simple, free and healthy. Actually, kindness can increase our sense of connection with others, decrease loneliness, combat low mood and improve relationships. When we share kindness, it’s not just about how we treat other people, but also about how we extend those same behaviors and intentions to ourselves. Dalai Lama said, “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible for us.” The more we do for others, the more they are likely to do for us. Even if things are hard for us right now, we still can try and find some small things to celebrate each day. Humans are usually hardwired to be kind. Nevertheless, if we want to show kindness to others, why not we start by being kind to ourselves first. Anyway, practicing kindness is free and is readily available to everyone.
      At last, just as one single act of kindness can create a domino effect (ripple effect) that benefits dozens of people, everyone has the way to influence more than he/she thinks that he/she has. That is, anything that we feel comfortable with and get better at, takes practice. Whether it’s playing a sport, cooking, gardening and drawing, nothing gets better without practice. Every time we practice, we strengthen the neural pathways in our brains associated with doing that action. Eventually, something that we once felt difficult and insurmountable becomes easy in our everyday life. Practice makes perfect. In fact, perfection isn’t required. We just need practice, and we can make progress! In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to overlook these small, genuine acts of harmony in our daily lives. So, we must be able to let go of the old beliefs, and find a profound sense of fulfillment and contentment within ourselves. We have to take easy to comprehend that it is the present moment in the simple choices we make, the intentions we set, and the ways we treat ourselves and others. Haven’t we, recently, had the time to cook healthy and balanced meals for ourselves and our loved ones, or to reconnect with an old friend or our family members? When we live at ease, we are, then, enjoying the sun shining on us, the buds starting to open, and the birds singing. Our hearts and minds are strong and complex, and we need to feed them with love and respect always. To be at ease is to be relaxed, centered and calm even in the midst of difficult situations. Life is not easy. But if we bring an energy of ease to each moment, we can find a lightness that offers support. To be at ease does not mean that everything is going our ways and falling into places just as expected. To be at ease means that even when things are not going as planned, there is an effortlessness to our steps, and it will be okay no matter what. The universe works with a balance of constriction and expansion. Thus, it’s much easier to be at ease when we feel expanded, and all is going well. There are two stated definitions of ease: 1) to make something unpleasant, painful, serious or severe; and 2) to move carefully, gradually, or gently. Being at ease actually requires both definitions in order to work. We must move with gentle intentions and mindful awareness while remembering to drop resistance that arises in certain situations. Ease is not something that comes automatically. It is something we must practice in a world full of unease. We have a choice in every moment to bring the energy of ease into our existence. The more feeling at ease we have, the easier lives we experience. To sum up, in order to be healthy and happy people, we ought to have full confidence in ourselves, and practice kindness to others. We, then, feel at ease in our whole lives in return.