Ever feel that daily slump at work? Or, does it linger for a bit longer than a day… maybe a week? More?
If you feel like you’ve lost that loving feeling, consider this your invitation to bring compassion back into your work. This requires a switch in perspective, from thinking beyond yourself to the daily lives of your customers and the people you work for and with.
I once read that compassion is defined as the following...
“A feeling of deep sympathy and sorry for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.”
Just like any emotion or feeling, the level of compassion you feel is on a spectrum. For example, you might hear of a tragedy on the news and feel a tug on your heartstrings, but when a tragedy hits close to home those feelings intensify to deep sympathy where you are compelled to help the person(s) involved.
Every person is different about their sensitivity to sorrow. It can be easy to wonder why your husband doesn’t emotionally react to something you do, or why a friend doesn’t seem to care about a certain issue.
However, it’s important to allow others and yourself to be okay with any feeling of compassion, whether it is surface level or deeper.
And all of this, start's with you. Don’t give yourself a hard time for surface level compassion and don’t fight deeper feelings of compassion. Act on them to the level you can.
Like many wise women have said, You can’t control your thoughts, but you can control what you do with them.
When you allow thoughts into the anxiety room, like giving yourself a hard time for not feeling more compassionate, you’re entering into a negative mind state.
Instead of forcing yourself to feel more or less than you do, simply EXIT that space. Push the thoughts to a positive space, act on something you do feel compassion for, and then celebrate that positive move.
I’m not saying you need to donate a million dollars (well, if you’ve got the extra money do your thang). What I'm really talking about are the little things such as giving a smile and thank you to everyone you meet, be intentional about paying a compliment when it's due, or tip more than normal (in cash) to brighten someone's day.
When you bring compassion into your life, it will naturally infuse into your business. By integrating compassion where you can, you will have a better connection to your clientele and gain more personal interest into your daily activities.
Not to mention, clients and customers like being around positive energy.
Compassion is a gateway to peace within your heart. Go forward, feel compassion, give a little and just see what happens. The give back, even if it’s just an emotional give back, is worth it. I promise!
Fun ways to pay it forward:
Compliment a stranger
Pay for someone’s coffee (or pick up a stranger's bill at a restaurant)
Donate $5 to a cause of your choice
Text a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while something great about them
WAIT! Here’s the real kicker, keep this little love nugget to yourself. By keeping your act of compassionate kindness to yourself, you will allow the ripple effects to magnify inspiring others to do the same.
Don't fall into the trap of doing these things in order to only receiving positive affirmation from others around you.
You don’t need it from anyone else, friend. Learn to give yourself a pat on the back and mean it. Trust me, it sounds cheesy, but it’s actually really hard to do and so worth it.
Send a lot of love forward and send a little inward, and watch how it transforms your perspective and motivation.
Happy New Year Friends!