Dark Joseph Ravine has been no stranger to bullying in his own childhood. He remembers when other children bullied him and other classmates, and recalls the after-effects of such incidences. The hurt and pain lingered on for years after. When Ravine became an influencer and founder of Kindness for Success, he began to rediscover himself and find happiness. Ravine found the strength to reinvent himself and live a new and improved lifestyle. He found his footing on social media and discovered his passion for kindness. Thereafter, he embarked on a mission to spread kindness all around the world. Ravine believes that when kids and teens are taught kindness, this can influence future generations.
When children are in school, they may face many struggles with fitting in and finding social acceptance. Some children may even attempt to form their identity based on someone they admire or look up to. They believe that doing so will help them find success. However, Ravine believes this is wrong because each child has so much to offer. There is no need to imitate another child’s personality or clothing style. Ravine believes that trying to be someone else means that one is not proud of who one is. Children and teens need to have more pride in themselves, their skills, abilities, and accomplishments.
Sometimes, children aim to befriend those who are higher on the social totem pole so that they can get ahead. When children make the latter their focus, they miss what is truly important about being in school. Forging friendships is integral but academic achievement and accomplishment in sports can also be significant. When children get caught up trying to enter friend groups that are less than welcoming, Ravine advises, “It is important that we understand that we were born into this world to be only ourselves, as Oprah says. We will never please everyone no matter how hard we try. Therefore, we must seek to stay true to our values and live life in accordance with them. When I began to act true to myself, I gained much more respect than I started with. Much of the time, people can become annoyed when they see a person being replicated by someone else. Repetition and imitation get on peoples’ nerves, so why even go there?”
Ravine reiterates that children have the greatest opportunity to be themselves and show the world what they have to offer. He encourages children to hold true to who they are and not get swept up in trends or model their personality after anyone else. That’s not to say that there is no one we can’t learn from, but we must put our values first and foremost if we are to live our best lives.
Ravine continues to focus on his kindness mission as an influencer and he hopes that his advice will help kids understand that being themselves and following their hearts is the best way to live life. Uniqueness is key to success and happiness.