Leon Logothetis chats The Kindness Diaries | Arianna Merritt
Like many of us, have you been thinking that more positivity and love are needed in the world?! Be the light.
(c) Arianna Merritt // @ariannaonthego
The world needs our kindness. As you know, I am on a mission to use my platform to spread positivity and kindness globally. Earlier last month, my sister discovered The Kindness Diaries on Netflix and simply told me I had to watch it. So, I did. If you haven’t seen the series, it is about a man (Leon Logothetis) who travels the world relying on the kindness of strangers.
The Kindness Diaries hooked me; true to life, it shows love and kindness in the world, despite pain and suffering. After watching it, I immediately reached out to Leon and invited him to be a part of the blog so I could continue to spread kindness around like confetti. Leon agreed and generously provided me with 5 books to give away to lucky readers. If you want one, find out details at the bottom of the interview. You rock, Leon! Thank you for turning your pain into purpose and changing the world with kindness in the process!
Leon Logothetis is a global adventurer, motivational speaker, and philanthropist. It wasn’t always that way! He used to be a broker in the city of London where he felt uninspired and chronically depressed. He gave it all up for a life on the road. This radical life change was inspired by the inspirational movie, The Motorcycle Diaries. The days of living and working behind his ‘slab of wood’ (or desk to the layperson) are well and truly over. His new passion: Finding ways for your inner rebel (that voice that tells you, “you are worth so much more than you think”) to come out and play. The inner rebel that tells you that your life is yours. And anything you dream of is possible. Anything. And that the fuel for all of this delicious potential is simple: Kindness and harnessing the power of human connection. Watch The Kindness Diaries on Netflix & follow Leon on Instagram: @thekindnessguy.
Arianna Merritt: Hi Leon! Thank you for being here. How did you turn your idea for your adventure into action?
Leon Logothetis: I found myself back where I fought so hard to get away from, behind a desk. I saw a homeless chap holding a sign that said, “Kindness is the best medicine.” From that day forward, I did everything I could to make The Kindness Diaries happen. It took passion and hours and hours of work.
AM: How did you develop the courage to stand tall & share your experiences with a global audience?
LL: I find literature to be powerful, and from it I draw my greatest qualities. Like Captain Ahab searching for his terrible white whale, stopping at nothing and throwing caution to wind (but maybe holding onto a bit more restraint), I will face any obstacle with as much courage as I can!
AM: How do you deal with critics?
LL: What critics? : ) Life isn’t about what others think, it’s about what I do. How I act and how I live my life are all that I worry about. Ultimately, not everyone is going to like you but you can’t let them hold you back from your dreams.
AM: How do you deal with your inner critic?
LL: This one’s the tough one! The inner critic can be the beast that feasts unsated. I tell others to be gentle on themselves. If you make a mistake, learn from it and move on. Dwelling on the mistake will only make it worse in my experience.
(c) Arianna Merritt // @ariannaonthego
AM: Why is it so important to be humble and kind?
LL: In our kindness, we allow ourselves to be open to others. To connect with people honestly and sincerely is what I believe life to be all about. If you approach life in a humble and kind way, you will find it much easier to get things done.
AM: What advice would you have for someone who is scared of reaching out and asking for help from strangers?
LL: Try helping out someone else. When we’re in our own ruts and in need of assistance, we tend to forget how easy it can be to help others. We get so engrossed in our own actions, our own problems, that they can feel like such heavy burdens; but what is heavy to you may not be so heavy to another. In fact, it might be a burden someone else has experience lifting, something they would be more than willing to help alleviate.
AM: Tell me some simple ways we can spread kindness daily.
LL: This might be cliché, but try smiling more. It’s something so simple and easy to do that we forget all the times someone lit up our own hearts with a great big unsolicited smile!!
Thanks, Leon, for speaking from the heart and for your leadership. You are empowering us all to take action and become kindness ambassadors. Instead of waiting for the world to change, we hold the power inside ourselves to create a kinder world!
Go be kind to yourself and to others! The world needs our kindness!!!
(c) Arianna Merritt // @ariannaonthego
Book Giveaway – for my Canadian Readers (GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED).
Leon gave me 5 hard-cover copies of his book, The Kindness Diaries. I would like to give them away to 5 Canadian readers here in Canada.
How it works
Leave a comment in the section below and you will be entered into the draw. I will pick the winners on Wednesday, March 29th, and then let you know and mail them.