"Have courage and be kind" is just one of the many Disney quotes that have stuck with me through my entire life. In fact, this quote from the movie Cinderella has been one of the few that I tend to live life by. Cinderella herself showed immense kindness to everyone even though she was put in such a horrible situation. Just like Cinderella, I have also chosen to live my life by being kind to everyone I meet. However, being kind to everyone isn't always a fairy tale. In fact, sometimes it can be the hardest thing in the world.

Growing up, I was always taught to be kind to others, especially since you never know what someone is going through. In school, that's what I did, I treated each of my classmates with kindness and respect. However, I was not always treated the same way back. I learned this at a very young age, as I was sometimes bullied by a few of my classmates. I never tried to let it stop me though, since I knew not to be mean back. Honestly, I always treated anyone who didn't treat me right with kindness, since I thought it was the right thing to do. Most people that I went to school with saw and appreciated the fact that I was kind, so I ended up becoming known for it.

The thing is, no one said that being kind to people that hurt you in life is easy. No one ever said that it was easy to still be nice to people that have hurt you in so many ways or that have done you wrong. Even though it is not easy, I still show people kindness. To me, it is just the mature thing to do. Personally, I have found no personal gain in trying to be hurtful to others. I do not find joy in being mean to anyone; in fact, I tend to feel pain if I ever do anything mean. Some have always said to kill people with kindness, and that is exactly what I do.

But lately, I have felt that being kind to everyone can be very exhausting. Many times, I try to show kindness but I do not receive the same kindness back. Even though I do not show it, it does hurt when someone is not kind to you. It does hurt to continuously be nice to people who are not always nice to you back. There are times when I have questioned myself whether or not I should continue being so nice all of the time. I have questioned myself on whether or not I should stop going out of my way to do nice things for people. It is not that I do not want to be kind and do nice things, but at some point it takes a toll, both physically and mentally.

It is definitely a hard thing for me to think about, since I know at the end of the day I will always be the nice person. Over time, I have been learning to balance being nice and having a backbone, and it is nice to know when it is okay to say no. I have dealt with unkind people in many places, whether it was work, school, or even hanging out with my friends. I have learned to forgive people who have done me wrong, and most of the time I still treat them kindly. However, I am also trying to learn when it is okay to cut the kindness with others. Overall, I want to be kind and I want others to be kind too. But I know that not everyone I meet in life will be nice to me, so I am happy to know how to deal with those people in the right way.