A YEAR OF LIVING KINDLY

While she considered herself a reasonably nice person (with occasional lapses into crankiness), Donna Cameron knew that true kindness was a step above and so she committed to a full year of kindness. She learned that it takes practice, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.

Being kind is something most of us do when it's easy and when it suits us. Being kind when we don't feel like it, or when all of our buttons are being pushed, is hard. But that's also when it's most needed; that's when it can defuse anger and even violence, when it can restore civility in our personal and virtual interactions. Kindness has the power to profoundly change our relationships with other people and with ourselves. It can, in fact, change the world.

In A Year of Living Kindly, using stories, observation, humor, and summaries of expert research, Donna Cameron shares her experience committing to 365 days of practicing kindness. She presents compelling research into the myriad benefits of kindness, including health, wealth, longevity, improved relationships, and personal and business success. She explores what a kind life entails, and what gets in the way of it. And she provides practical and experiential suggestions for how each of us can strengthen our kindness muscle so choosing a life of kindness becomes ever easier and more natural. An inspiring, practical guide that can help any reader make a commitment to kindness, A Year of Living Kindly shines a light on how we can create a better, safer, and more just world?and how you can be part of that transformation.

Donna Cameron has spent her career working with nonprofit organizations and causes?as an executive, consultant, trainer, and volunteer. She has seen kindness in action and been awed by its power to transform. When she committed to a year of living kindly she considered herself a reasonably nice person (with occasional lapses into bitchiness), but she knew that true kindness was a step above?and over the course of that year, she learned that it takes practice, patience, and understanding . . . not to mention a sense of humor. The recipient of multiple writing awards, Cameron has published numerous articles and, in 2011, coauthored (with Kristen Leathers) One Hill, Many Voices: Stories of Hope and Healing. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Donna now lives in a suburb of Seattle with her husband.