In episode 6 of Fresh Eyes, I interview Dr. Jeremy Goldberg, a behavioral
scientist, mentor, writer, speaker, and spoken word poet. He is a change agent who believes everyone deserves kindness and that empathy and compassion should be commonplace. In 2010, Jeremy started the movement, podcast, and workshops titled Long Distance Love Bombs, he is a TedX speaker, and the author of It’ll Be Okay, And You Will Be Too.
Jeremy’s kindness revolution began in an airport when he saw a crying woman sitting all by herself, yet surrounded by people ignoring her. In his compassion, he walked over, and handed her a business card in which he had written, “It’ll be okay, and you will too.” As he reflected on the pervasive loneliness everyone feels in our society (despite how inherently connected we are on social media), Long Distance Love Bombs
was born.
In the episode, I ask Jeremy what prevents kindness, and he explained that
compassion only works when you can relate to the other person’s emotions, feelings or circumstances. He feels that kindness is abandoned when we forget that there are no strangers—we are all humans with hopes and dreams, going through trials and tribulations. When we remember that someone is just like us but living different experiences, it is much easier to be kind.
We also touch on self love, self compassion, and self acceptance playing a factor in the world’s lack of kindess. Jeremy and I agree that how we show up in the world is how we view ourselves, and if you do not love yourself it is difficult to give that acceptance to a stranger.
Jeremy also explains his life analogy of being in charge of your own “party,” to keep the music going and make sure there are “boundary bouncers”at the door. He also addresses his ability to be extremely vulnerable on social media, and how he learned to overcome his fear on sharing his experiences to help people feel less alone and take control of their life and happiness.
“You’re the only problem in your life. It’s not about the bills or the relationship or the dog or the paycheck… It’s how you deal with that is what creates the problem…When we embrace that responsibility for everything that’s happening in our life, that is when the magic starts to happen.”
To connect with Jeremy, visit his website, Facebook, or Instagram.
