I’ve been working on having more compassion for myself and for others.
In some areas I find it very easy to be compassionate, and it’s a wonderful feeling. But there have certainly been some hang ups.
This is what I’ve noticed so far:
1. My judgement gets in the way. If I disagree with someone’s behaviour, choice or action, I feel accusatory when they realize the error…”you asked for it” is my first reaction.
2. I have a deep belief that not learning from my mistakes means failure. I work a lot of my life around this belief, and I constantly have to remind myself I’m still learning. Because of this, having to tell the same person the same thing is hard for me … “if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times” is my first thought as I roll my eyes.
3. I like fast. I like to learn fast, I like to get a job done fast, and I like people to keep up. When things take time I can become impatient. I will bully my way through and “take off” instead of allowing the process to unfold the way it’s supposed to… “get on board or get out of the way” seems to be my motto.
This is a preliminary list and by no means an exhaustive list. Sometimes I can work my mind back around to compassion in these areas, and sometimes I literally can’t get there. It’s very interesting, and its a new way for me to see my beliefs around certain areas.
As with everything, the more I delve into it, the deeper understanding I will get.
I encourage you to play along with me. It’s quite fascinating to uncover the ways in which we self protect.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
~Mother Theresa