Compassion Series - Compassion for Others
Acknowledging and Showing Gratitude for Compassion
Whenever you notice someone showing compassion to you, remember to acknowledge them for their contribution. Bringing compassion to someone else’s awareness, brings it into their subconscious mind. Acknowledging someone for a positive contribution only enhances their desire to more of that for you and for other people in their lives.
Small Acts of Kindness
Performing small acts of kindness will result in the recipient stopping in their tracks and taking notice. Your actions will become such a delightful, pleasant, and unexpected contribution, they will be impacted in a positive way. Remember, no act of kindness is too small when it comes to compassion. Once the recipient is feeling better about themselves, that feeling of being valued will trickle down into people in their circles, as well.
Compassion as Motivation
We all know someone who has gone through a rough time whether personally or professionally. The mere act of showing compassion to them helps them to not only recover more quickly, but also motivates them toward change. When someone is stuck in feeling bad feelings for an incident or action of another in their lives, it is easy as human beings to get stuck in that place.
However, when another human being comes along and shows compassion to that person, sometimes that is all the motivation they need. Compassion motivates people to inspire a change or take an action step toward moving forward – even if no solution is readily available. When we show compassion to others, we do not necessarily have an answer or a quick solution, but what we do have is an understanding of their suffering.
Once someone is understood, the negative feelings can dissipate, become a little softer, and hope can begin to take place. The mere act of being understood and having someone alongside to ride through the wave with them is sometimes enough of a catalyst for positive change.
Action Steps
Sometimes compassion shows up in taking an action step when someone needs help. Have you ever seen how many people come together when they are needed most? Taking compassionate action steps has a way of allowing others to receive help, but also helping us to feel good as a contribution to society.
Kinds Words
are another way of showing compassion. You may have heard about other people having different love languages. For some, it is an act of kindness that shows the most compassion, while for others it is kind words. If someone is suffering through a situation, offering up kind and compassionate words is like music to their ears.
Kind Deeds
are another way to offer up compassion to someone experiencing difficulties. Whereas kind actions might come in the form of taking care of a child, a pet, making phone calls, doing research, kind deeds are a little bit different. Making someone their favorite meal can offer much comfort and compassion in times of trouble. Leaving flowers or a plant on their desk when they are out to lunch with a heartfelt card is enough to turn their day completely around in a positive way.
Gratitude
While being grateful might seem like a different subject all together, it is related to compassion. Showing and expressing gratitude to others makes a world of difference to them. How easy is it to express our dislike when something goes awry, but when it comes to being intentional about being grateful, this is one of the best ways to show compassion. People who express gratitude often have a higher propensity for compassion.
Non-judgement
While it is perfectly fine to decide who you want in your closest circles, sometimes we do not have a choice. We might have a coworker or family member that, for the moment, we need to interact with on occasion. Coming from a place of non-judgement can soften the experience for you but also offer up compassion and empathy for them, as well.
Acceptance
Another unexpected way to practice compassion is through acceptance. While we might not like a certain characteristic of someone’s personality, accepting them as they are and as they are not is one of the biggest forms of compassion.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is the most difficult way to show compassion out of them all. While we might not forget, we can always forgive. Remembering that a person’s actions could stem from their own pain and their own past, might make taking on forgiveness a little bit easier. Many religious and spiritual practices encourage the art form of forgiveness toward one another’s human faults. While it might not be easy and takes a lot of courage, offering up forgiveness is one of the purest forms of being more compassionate.
Remember, once you begin to practice self-compassion, just like anything else, it will become a habit. Once you are proficient in practicing self-compassion, you can share the beauty and the benefits of compassion to others.