Compassion often times gets shrugged off as an attribute of the weak. But, it takes strength to push yourself out of the way to see beyond yourself, win the battle against your own emotions and hold back your own needs to attend to others’. It is an attribute of people who are compassionate with themselves, before they begin to give it to others. Compassion does favors for the giver and the receiver. When you give it often, you’re more likely to receive it in the long run.
People who never received it, often find it difficult to give and rarely recognize or appreciate when it’s being given to them. These people need to take action to start the cycle of compassion in their lives. This may be working with a professional to overcome the barriers to compassion or even just starting to practice being compassionate with themselves and others.
Some people may confuse compassion with pity and believe they don’t need it. But everyone will one day find themselves in need of compassion from another, whether it’s through a favor, forgiveness or just acceptance of who they are.
Compassion is repetition. It’s listening to someone’s problems and time after time, responding as if it’s the first time you’ve heard that life can be difficult. Responding to someone’s problems by taking them as your own, but not actually making them your own. Being totally open and vulnerable to accepting their pain. It is applied kindness. Imaginative sympathy. It’s not being a slave to others emotions or giving up your own best interest for theirs, but a more intelligent way of approaching their problems and providing aide that will help them in the long run.
Compassion encompasses all the things we talked about before: faith that the person and/ or the future holds promise; self awareness to recognize when you need true compassion from others and when others need it; and optimism to find a rabbit hole of positivity and promise in anyone’s situation. It’s a gift of the strong and a skill of the wise.
Overall, compassion is the only thing that makes a civil society run and the only thing that saves humanity. Compassion blossoms only from the worst of times to bring out the best in all of us. Who knew a little compassion for others could go a long way for ourselves?
Compassion is among the highest traits for Life Circles and supporting clients in a coaching relationship. To understand the client’s world and really “get into it”, and from there be able to support the individual in what they are “really” up against. Without the compassion and empathy, it would be tough to ever really understand someone else’s world and their struggles. That’s one of the main reasons our counseling and coaching program is very different from the others. We are trained in compassion and being empathetic with others. We will always provide that for our clients. If there is any way we can support you or your loved ones, please contact us to setup a free consultation.
Marty and Caroline, Life Circles