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Can You Be Kind Without Becoming Boring And/Or Weak? | A Question From "Mean Aunt Kate"

Apr 11, 2025 9m 6s 4 insights
<p dir="ltr">We're going to give you a taste of the so-called "renegade sangha" sessions on <a href="https://www.danharris.com">DanHarris.com</a>, which is powered by Substack. In those sessions, Dan usually guides a meditation and then takes questions. </p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">In this brief episode, you're going to hear one of the best, funniest, most relatable questions we have received to date.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Sign up for Dan's newsletter <a href="http://www.danharris.com">here</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Follow Dan on social: <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J">TikTok</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Ten Percent Happier online <a href="https://bit.ly/46TZglY">bookstore</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Subscribe to our <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD">YouTube Channel</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Our favorite playlists on: <a href="https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT">Anxiety</a>, <a href="https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF">Sleep</a>, <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J">Relationships</a>, <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc">Most Popular Episodes</a></p> <p> </p>
Actionable Insights

1. Practice Loving Kindness Meditation

Engage in loving kindness practice, including ‘protracted, high dose periods’ like retreats and integrating it prominently into daily practice, to systematically change your default mode towards warmth and experience profound psychological, physiological, and behavioral impacts.

2. Set Compassionate Boundaries

Practice discernment and set clear boundaries, as having compassion, empathy, and love for yourself means you sometimes need to draw a line and not tolerate the intolerable, rather than becoming a doormat.

3. Adopt a Growth Mindset

Adopt a growth mindset, recognizing that change is possible and you can slowly, systematically, and even messily alter your default mode, rather than feeling bad about your current conditioning.

4. Join Subscriber Community

Become a subscriber at danharris.com to receive regular wisdom, ad-free podcasts, transcripts with cheat sheets, twice-monthly live guided meditations, Q&A sessions, and to be part of a supportive community.