“Be kind.”

It’s such a simple phrase, isn’t it? It’s one we see and hear all the time; something we teach our kids from the very beginning.

Be thoughtful, be compassionate, be patient, be kind.

But as adults, these simple values often get overlooked in the busyness of our lives. We get so caught up in our own world and the never-ending list of things to do that most of our daily interactions become rushed and almost like we're on auto-pilot. And in the midst of all that, we forget that behind every smile, hurried wave, or polite “I’m good, thanks!”, there might be a whole other story that we can’t see.

We pass strangers at the shops, we see other parents at school drop off/pick up, we have lunch with our colleagues, we catch up on our friends’ lives through social media. But how often do we stop to wonder what battles they might be fighting silently?

Because the truth is: most of the hardest battles are the invisible ones; the ones that rage inside your mind and threaten to consume your spirit.

That mum who looks so put-together at the school gate? She might have cried in the car before walking in.

The dad who seems distracted at work? Maybe he’s carrying the weight of financial worry.

The friend who’s suddenly gone quiet in your group chat? Maybe they’re exhausted of always pretending to be okay.

The point is: you don’t always know what’s on their minds.

And I speak from experience.

I have been through depression, anxiety, loneliness, and grief, and I can tell you just how easy it is to put a mask on and pretend you’re fine even when you’re anything but. We tend not to talk about it, because sometimes, explaining feels too hard. And sometimes, we’re afraid of being a burden; that we’ll make things awkward and you, uncomfortable.

But that’s why kindness matters so much. A smile, a kind word, a nice gesture, a message to check in – these things may seem small, but to someone who’s barely holding it together, they may feel like lifelines. Kindness can build bridges in a world that often feels isolating.

And that’s why I want to encourage you to lead with grace. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Let’s remember that it costs you nothing to be kind, but to someone else, your kindness might be the only gentle thing they experience that day.

So, be kind; you don’t know what’s on someone else’s mind. And if you’re the one who’s struggling, that also means be kind to yourself because you, too, are worthy and deserving of gentleness in the midst of your battles.

Be thoughtful, be compassionate, be patient, be kind.

P.S. In my book “From One Heart To Another”, I share a poem called “You Don’t Know” which was inspired by something horrible an ex-colleague once said to me about 6 months after Dorian passed away. If you’d like a preview of the poem, click here. To preorder the complete book, click here.