This inquiry is not a paid promotion for a pending Disney movie. I am not pitching a cute singing journal for the next McDonald's Happy Meal's campaign.
My growth through inquiry and questions were the result of answering hard questions straight from the heart. My friends and I would know it was a real answer when the answer landed with a dull thud. These were the answers that were not sugar coated, or on the Instagram highlight real, but a solemn moment of truth.
Read More
The votes are tallied, results are in, and victory or concession speeches delivered. Euphoria for some, dread for others. Take time for celebration and mourning; both feelings are real and justified.
We have all won and lost; each is an opportunity? Is there gloating, boasting, and shaming of the opposition? Does the slightest victory fuel ideas of a mandate from the entire populous? Do anger, resentment, and a desire to hamstring the winners flood your being?
Raw emotions are an opportunity to understand our motives and what drives us. The artist probes the depth of passion for inspiration to pen a lyric, scribble a poem, or fill a canvas. We draw near to our family and friends through celebrations, suffering, and sorrows. Now is the time to hear the whispers of the heart that are drowned out during the heat of battle.
What effort do you put into listening to a cross section of the opposition? The election is done and provides an opportunity to set aside our bias to actually hear how others see the world. Before the vote, we are too busy forming a rebuttal to listen to what was said. Now is a time to listen, empathize, and possibly hear for the first time.
If approaching from a position of victory, it is time to listen for how to serve the minority. If approaching from a position of loss, it is time to listen to how the majority of the electorate sees the world. In either case, setting aside stereotypes and approaching with mere curiosity will surprise even the most certain.
Give your favorite news outlet and the national talking heads a chance to rest. The neighbor over the back fence is ready to talk honestly. You and I are complicated individuals and painting with a broad brush doesn't work.
Our nation is too beautiful to overlook the elegant details that comprise the mosaic of people. Differences will always be present. The temptation to divisiveness and hatred will always be an option. However, a daily choice is to treasure the physical and relational mosaic or smear paint over it with the broad brush of generalization.
Regardless of what political party takes office, you won. You get to choose today; detailed brush or broad brush?
Compassion doesn't equal indulgence. Compassion to oneself is not a license to eat the whole tub of ice cream or splurge on retail therapy at the mall.
This inquiry delves into our personal suffering and misfortune. No one gets out of this life unscathed. For eons, humanity struggled to stay alive long enough to see the next generation survive into adulthood. Life was brutal. A rape victim was told to get over it; this is a part of life, and you have work to do.
Most in the Western world have the means to survive and can now attend to the whole person. Unfortunately, the voices in our head can be our worst enemy.
Have you given yourself sufficient time to grieve the death of someone close to you? Whether sudden or a drawn out process, this death, separation, and memories flood our minds in the most surprising ways. Accepting the new normal takes time and living to adjust. Changing status to a widow, single parent, or orphan can take years.
Do you give yourself space to heal? Regardless of the trauma source, either internal or external, a place to recover relieves the pressure to deny the thinking and feelings that sweep over us when hurt. Pain hides in dark corners and until light reveals what lurks in the shadows; this painful enemy will undermine healing and disrupt plans for wellness.
How do you process your failures? The hot Silicon Valley phrase "fail fast" is an invaluable tool to understand what product changes the market demands. Failure is not always quick and often heartbreaking when we pour out our life, only to see the work go up in flames. When our business, marriage, relationships, or dreams fall apart, we must generously extend compassion to the face in the mirror.
Each of these examples has significant implications on how we encounter the world. We are not running from the black plague or living on pennies a day. We have the privilege to invest the resources of compassion in ourselves to mourn death, heal hurts, and learn from failures. What recovery tools do you use; counseling, friendship, laughter, prayer, exercise, meditation, reading, others?
How are you today?
Going Further: Where do you need to extend the gift of compassion? What is one step you will take?