[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://suzannestrong.com/wp-content/..." data-large-file="https://suzannestrong.com/wp-content/..." src="https://suzannestrong.com/wp-content/..." alt="" class="wp-image-9832" />Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com

Hey everyone,

Interesting research I heard of today was that Harvard in a study found that people who were humble were much happier than other people. The reason was because they asked questions, they wanted to learn. They wanted to learn how they could be better and didn’t act like an expert in every situation or relationship, they didn’t always think they were right. It’s a challenging concept but I’ve always thought that humility was an underrated quality. It’s something I look for in people. I feel like those people are always the best people I know, so yeah something to think about. 

I also recently volunteered with an organisation that cuts hair for people experiencing homelessness – it’s called Hair Aid. It was so beautiful to meet the people we encountered. They were definitely humble. We were giving away clothes, hygiene packs, shoes, hair products, moisturisers, shavers, cans of soup, and when I offered them to people, they only took what they needed. They thanked me. They were not entitled.

What I love about people in humble circumstances they are usually quite honest. I talked to this young woman who was on the streets due to domestic violence and taking drugs. She told me the whole story and she used to have a full time job. What struck me was when she said “the drugs fill the void” which I thought was such an honest, raw and deep observation.

Over the years, I have done a lot of street work with different organisations and I always see this, this raw honesty. There is no pretense. Not like in normal society where we pretend we are all together and perfect. I loved it. The research above reflects what I see. I just wanted to share the observation. In addition to the other street work, my brother experienced homelessness years ago, and I knew some of his friends from the street. They were always honest and raw. This is just an observation, maybe we can actually learn from these people to be more open and seek to be more open – not fearing the judgement of others.

Anyway, I admire their courage to keep going. She told me every night at 5pm she worries about where she will sleep, and that hit me. It’s so hard for women on the street. They are so vulnerable. What Hair Aid is doing all over Australia and even in other countries, is restoring dignity, making people feel great about themselves, removing any stigma they feel. They deserve to feel good, they are beautiful people, and very funny.

I always made sure I told them how good they looked after their haircut and you could see them walk taller, like they felt like a million bucks. It was so touching to see how they felt so good after their hair was neat, styled. They looked so handsome and so beautiful. It was a wonderful way to spend a Friday night. If you want to see what Hair Aid does you can check it out here. I am doing some writing for Hair Aid and it is a privilege.

Anyway, that’s all I wanted to share. We can learn from everyone around us.

Have a beautiful day! Suz