Pick up on moments of hesitation or discomfort and use those times to exercise kindness. Try to avoid having people do things if they half-heartedly insist they don't mind or are okay; take care of burdensome tasks for people you love whenever possible.

Remember that as long as you mean it, you can never say "I love you" or "thank you" too many times, and there are a million ways to express either sentiment... Try especially hard to express yourself in that particular person's 'love language'- if you know compliments mean a lot to them, praise them without reserve. If nonverbal gestures make them happy, show your affection through meaningful actions.

If you've gotten into a meaningless fight with someone who you still love deep down and the relationship isn't toxic, apologize as soon as possible and try to clear the air while you still have the chance. The adage "never go to bed angry" applies here.

Don't ever let a friend feel guilty or selfish for opening up to you. Be a good listener, but also remember to reciprocate every once in a while by letting them in on your own problems. Let people know you trust them and count on them just as they count on you.

On the random occasions when you're struck by the beauty of the sparkle in someone's eyes or how unfailingly generous they are, consider telling them, right then and there. It might weird them out and make you seem utterly creepy, but it might also make their day.

Always be conscious of your weaknesses and actively try to make up for them. If you often find people doubting whether you actually like or need them, go the extra mile to reaffirm how meaningful they are. If friends complain that you're never around or are overly unresponsive, suck it up and make yourself more available, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. Don't change who you are, but don't let your hangups keep you from treating people as they deserve to be treated, and don't hesitate to sacrifice a bit of your own pleasure for their benefit.

Always, always tell people how you feel about them (when positive). This can't be stressed enough; there will come a day when you won't be able to say "I cherish you" any more, and that day may come much sooner than you expect.

Your central objective when being kind to anyone should be to strengthen them somehow, not to strengthen yourself or their opinion of you.

When your feelings about someone are negative, question yourself before thinking ill of the other person. Do you have legitimate grounds for feeling badly about them? Do you have the right to dislike this aspect of the person, or are you being unfairly judgmental? Second-guess your assumptions first, not the other person.

Human beings come up with a million excuses to dismiss our own bad behavior... try to always do the same for other people, even those you don't consider friends. Always put yourself in the shoes of others and try to feel their situations and difficulties as intensely as they themselves do. Never, under any circumstance, view another creature as beneath yourself. If anything, they might be different, but nobody should ever be considered 'worse'. Superiority is unnecessary, illusory, and a lie rooted in ego. Just be yourself and maintain your integrity; no empathy is bad empathy when arising from a well-intentioned heart.

x r