The Power of Kindness: In the Classroom, Community, and Business
Kindness matters. This world would be a better place if everyone were just a little kinder to each other.
My amazing wife, Pamela Lewy pushed me out of my comfort zone this month, helping me “volunteer” to teach a second-grade class about kindness. I was psyched to do it until about 5 minutes before it started. That’s when my mini-panic attack and doubt started. I was about to be in front of a class of almost 20 kids and two teachers, teaching a lesson I honestly didn’t know if they would engage in. I also imagined the teachers internally thinking, “What is this guy doing?”.
In this moment of panic, I was kind to myself. Took a few deep breaths. Reminded myself that proper teachers were in the room if I completely froze up. Reminded myself these were just kids. Reminded myself that I give presentations twice yearly to a bigger group of adults at BNI 53, Worth Waking Up For. It all helped. I calmed down. Before we started, I told the teacher about my nervousness, and she was incredibly encouraging.
It all went great, and thank god for second-grade girls. They were engaging, asking questions, and answering my questions about kindness. My heart rate calmed down a little more whenever a hand went up to participate, knowing they were interested in this conversation. The boys were less so; I’ll need to revisit that when I do this again next month.
As parents, we teach our kids so many lessons, but kindness is one of the most important. We say “use kind words” so much to our kids that I might get that tattooed on my arm so they will always see it.
Equally important are our actions. Last week, my kids saw their Supermom instantly run across a street to help another Mom and her kids, who were all on a family bike and had just gotten doored by a guy in a parked car. Everyone went down, and the kids were crying. Without thinking, Pam was there to help. Luckily, everyone was OK.
Kindness was on display all day at the 50th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Brooklyn yesterday, too. Families helping each other out, sharing food and drinks, and enjoying the warmer temperatures.
I created a company with the brand “Help Desk with a Heart” because kindness is one of my core values – as a parent and husband, as a business owner, and as a member of my community. Connecting with my clients on a personal level is why I do what I do (and why I want to tell you about my scary adventures in elementary school volunteering!) When tech issues arise, we know they can be frustrating. That’s why my team is committed to taking the time to explain, troubleshoot, and make sure you feel confident and at ease every step of the way.
Kindness matters, is contagious, and can be used everywhere. Try being kinder to your partner, kids, work colleagues, IT team, and yourself today.
I guarantee you’ll have a better day.
Happy St. Patty’s Day, all!
This month, Murph Consulting turned 18. I cranked up Alice Cooper's "I'm 18" and Skid Row's "18 and Life" to get the vibes going. My company is now old enough to vote, get a tattoo, and get married, all without parental consent. Watch out, world!
In all seriousness, the passing of another year of entrepreneurship and running a successful business always feels like a good time to reflect. Since we started in 2007, we've assisted nearly 600 small businesses and residential clients. Businesses in every industry, ranging in size from the solopreneur to 100 employees. There’s no company we’ll say “you’re too small for us to help”, and that gives me great joy. Small businesses need tech and CyberSecurity support, and we’ve got their backs.
Speaking of, it's October again, and you all know what that means, right? The Mets have failed us, and the Islanders, Jets, and Rangers are about to. It's also Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Every small business should be implementing some basic security measures by now. It's easier and more affordable than you think it is, and definitely cheaper than dealing with the fallout of something drastically bad happening to your business.
How's your password game? Do you use strong passwords on all the sites you visit, or are they all slight modifications of one word, like your kids or pets' names or birth dates?
If it's the latter, let's chat. You should be using a password manager. They are easy to use, create complex passwords for you that you no longer need to remember, and keep them all safe for you. I can't remember the last time I had to click on the "forgot your password" link for any site, and I love that for me.
A password manager is just one of the seven software we feel EVERY small business should have in place to help keep them protected in 2025. We’ve packaged these up together neatly and made them affordable for the small businesses we will always support. If you’d like to learn more, please click the “Contact Murph” button below to send me an email.