We have lovely neighbours in Scotland; Kathleen and Brian who are caring and delightful company to be with. They will certainly fit right in with our club’s good vibes, good company, good life.

When I started to think about this Inbox’s content, Kathleen’s face came to mind as someone who is grace personified.

The word “grace” is rich and multifaceted in its meanings. I like the following common definitions provided by Copilot:

Each time when I speak with Kathleen, her presence and our interactions leave me feeling energised, joyous and calm. She has an elegance about her; more importantly she always speak of others kindly and pleasantly.

In a world where it is easy to be demanding and harsh, being graceful in our words and actions are powerful catalysts for goodness.

That is the reason why our club’s logo has both the black panther symbolising power & wisdom and the lotus flower symbolising grace & purity. While we rediscover and reclaim our Power, we can also infuse it with Grace. With both in play, we can effect change and spread kindness at the same time.

That is what one of our club members experienced recently.

He had to bring his car yet again to the local garage for further repairs because the mechanics were negligent in their work. This garage had a not so stellar reputation, but people choose it for sheer convenience like our club member. When the work is done by the owner himself, it is fine. But the same can’t be said for his team. When our member had to bring his car back to the garage for the third time, he decided to speak candidly with the owner:

“Let me tell you a story. In this cafe that I patronised, there is a very pleasant young man there who makes the most delicious coffee. The others in his team just do not make the same quality coffee. Now, when he is not there, I will have tea instead. I only continue doing business with you because I like you. I will send my car to you only if you are the one fixing it.”

The owner paused and replied:

“Thank you for providing me with this critical feedback. It is something I need to address about my team. Leave it with me, I will take care of your car. “

When I chatted with the member, he related this story to me and his own inner realisation. He could have used his power as a customer to cause serious damage, but he chose to balance his power with grace by being powerfully positive and kinder in his feedback. He said that the owner’s eyes softened, and face changed when he heard “… because I like you”.

Well done to this member! 👏

In our world today, you can see examples of power being exerted from the party who has the greater ability to do so. Customers who publicly write scathing reviews of businesses to politicians who wield power as a ransom tool.

We are unable to affect the political stage but we certainly can positively amplify goodness through our words and action.

Wonderous Words

While it can depend on age, culture and other factors, a study by the University of Arizona found that most people speak around 16,000 words in a day. That’s a lot of words.

We use it every day in our personal and professional lives. It can leave a huge impact and create a lasting memory. It can also build or destroy relationships.

Yet for the vast majority, we rarely pay attention to the choice of words we use on ourselves and others.

Wonderous Actions

In our daily living, there are numerous opportunities for us to bestow grace on others.

One practice of mine is instead of writing bad reviews or complaints on my socials, I prefer to provide the area for improvement directly to the person or business. Like the member’s example, by providing direct feedback or feedforward, it has a transformative possibility.

One such incident happened when I was in a retail store and a sales staff was totally rude in her mannerisms. I was triggered and upset so I walked away. A few minutes later, I decided to speak to her. It transpired that (1) she was the Assistant Manager and (2) she was clueless that her mannerisms were perceived as rude. Worse, that it triggers anger in her customers.

Apparently, her outlet manager had feedback to her complaints received about her behaviour but she was clueless why the customers were upset. In her view, she was just being herself. She profusely apologised and thanked me for sharing the feedback and tips.

Other examples:

What other examples can you think of?