I've always been "nice". 

To some people that means kind, to some that means boring, to some a pushover, and to some fake. To me, it's a choice I make in an attempt to make other people's lives just a little less difficult. 

Because, as we all know, life is beautiful but it's also tough. If given a choice, nobody should be making it tougher for someone else.

I'm not always nice. I have bad days. I slip up. I can let others get under my skin and allow myself to be pushed too far. There are times I snap at people, both the ones I love and perfect strangers. Times when I just can't handle any more rudeness from another person. 

But I don't like when that happens. I don't like when I snap.

Letting other people's negativity get the best of me is not how I want to live my life. 

Because of a certain would-be politician, the term "telling it like it is" is being thrown around a lot right now. 

I have always strongly disliked this phrase (along with "giving it right back"). The way it's used suggests that the only way to be honest is to be abrasive and insulting. That being rude is the strong choice. That being polite and kind automatically means lies, weakness, or lack of conviction.

That's just not true. 

Anybody can be rude or mean. It's very easy to let negativity take over. 

It takes real strength to push through that negativity and find peace. 

Truth can be told through kindness. A person can "tell it like it is" without stepping on other people. Words can be chosen and spoken with conviction without purposely disparaging someone else.

Yes, there will always be some people who might be insulted by certain words or phrases, and we can't please everyone all the time, but that shouldn't be an excuse to abandon compassion and empathy. 

Lets realize together that even if we slip up and let negativity in, we don't have to let it control us.

Lets rise up together and choose to be kind. 

XoXo,

Lisa