Tag Archives: #compassion

Spirituality

Neighborly

Have you ever had a bad experience with a neighbor? I have. Only one, but he was a rude, selfish ass. And the thing is, you are stuck with them until one of you moves.

In the workplace we have neighbors. My office has around 20 people in it. We may only casually know our coworkers, but we can make a difference in their lives. We simply need to be aware of what’s going on around us and offer support if appropriate. Even casual acquaintances need to know we care.

People are struggling. Most people put on a brave face for the world, but they might feel empty inside. Show patience and kindness when you can. Even if you are in a hurry. Your simple smile might be what someone needs in the moment.

We are never too busy to show kindness…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Detractors

There are people among us who love to tear you down. I have never understood this. It must come from an area of their own insecurity embedded in their hearts. Deeply embedded.

The world is hard. Take a moment and notice the faces of the people around you. Wherever you are, in an elevator, walking around The Domain, in restaurants, the effects of isolation are still felt today. These are opportunities to show kindness and compassion to others, even to those who don’t deserve it.

God created us to be in community, not alone. We need solitude but not isolation. Even the CDC has put on their website that human connection is vital for good emotional health and wellbeing. If you haven’t heard from your friends and acquaintances for a while, take a moment to check on them. It will do both of you well.

Don’t fall for the distractions of life, or the detractors. Stay focused on spreading goodness and light, no matter what anyone says…

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Spirituality

The Lens of Compassion

Empathy or compassion. Which is it?

Empathy is shared experience, while compassion is showing you care but can’t relate because you haven’t had the same experience. For example, I know many people who have lost children. That’s a level of pain that I have not experienced. Yet, I feel for them because I know they are hurting. I don’t know how they feel, though.

When I see illegal members of a violent gang being deported, I always wonder what happened to them to cause them to go down the road of evil. I truly wish things had turned out different for them.

Lead your life with care and compassion for others. We are all in this life together…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Seen or Unseen

Everyone wants to be seen, heard and understood. It’s universal, yet many are afraid to let their guard down and show themselves.

Musicians have written about this conundrum for years. The Goo Goo Dolls, one of my favorite bands, wrote this chorus in their song, “Iris:”

“And I don’t want the world to see me
‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am.”

I believe people stay guarded because they believe if someone saw them for who they are, they wouldn’t be liked. A hard truth is, not everyone is going to like us. And that’s okay. When you are trying to make a positive impact in the world, you’re gonna rub some people the wrong way. And that’s okay.

I encourage you to continue showing the world who you are, spreading goodness and light along the way. If you piss a few people off doing that, it’s okay…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Chain Reactions

In a paper titled, “My Ethics. My Codes of Life,” Rachel Joy Scott wrote the following: “Compassion is the greatest form of love humans have to offer. I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, it would start a chain reaction of the same. You never know how far a little kindness can go.”

Rachel was the first person killed at Columbine High School in 1999. Since her death, her story has been starting chain reactions of kindness and compassion worldwide. In fact, she’s started over 30 million of them.

Around the same time, the two shooters talked about a different kind of chain reaction, one of violence and murder. It’s shocking when you consider the contrast, especially since they were interrelated.

Our actions have consequences. What we put out into the world comes back to us. Always.

I encourage you to start your own chain reaction of kindness and compassion. Your fellow man desperately needs it…

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#inspiration

Love Your Neighbor

Jesus told us to “love our neighbor as we love ourselves.” But how do we show love to our neighbor, and who is our neighbor?

Let’s begin with this: everyone we encounter is our neighbor. Everyone. We should try to follow the golden rule and treat people the way we want to be treated. This includes difficult people and the times we are in a hurry. We have an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on everyone.

We can only show love and compassion to others in ways which equal how we feel about ourselves. If our self-esteem is healthy, we will treat others as if they are equally important. They are.

All of us are works in progress. Keep working on yourself and your connections with others will deepen…

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#inspiration

Leaders

For many years, I have written and spoken on leadership. There are a lot of characteristics that make up a good leader, but today I will only focus on one: compassion.

A compassionate leader thinks about the people he or she leads. That type of leader recognizes that an organization will only be as good as the people, and that people need to know they are important, they are valued. And a compassionate leader must be authentic. People can see through bullshit a mile away!

If you are in a leadership role, I encourage you to lead with compassion. You will get the most out of your people by leading this way, and you’ll have greater personal job satisfaction…

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#inspiration

Superspreader

Superspreader is a term that became commonplace during the pandemic. It typically means something negative, something harmful.

Does it have to be a negative event? I say no, no it does not. Why don’t we start a superspreader of kindness and compassion, treating our fellow man the way we want to be treated?

Anything is possible if we believe…

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#inspiration

Connection

My approach when I meet new people is to be unguarded and open. I accept others as they are and where they are in life. Through openness, I’m able to connect with people in a deeper, more meaningful way than just surface conversations.

People are carrying a lot of pain. They need connection and compassion, not judgment. We are in this life together. Be a bridge builder, not a destroyer…

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#inspiration

Guarded…

On social media, we see pictures and posts of perfect lives. This is great! We should celebrate happy moments. Yet, think of how much compassion we would see from others if we sometimes showed how hellish life can be. Something worth considering…

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