It may not seem like it sometimes, but generally, I really do try to be compassionate to others. Although I have a very low limit for the BS some people throw around, I do feel for others. In fact, I sometimes think that I was born with some type of freakish level of empathy. Tear jerker stories on TV get me every time, believe it or not. That is not to say that I sit there with a box of Kleenex, wiping my eyes, but when someone else is feeling pain, I tend to feel it very deeply. I always have and I don’t know why.
We could all benefit from slowing down every once in a while and really take a reading of the people around us. What I mean is, just stop and try to imagine what the people you care about have been feeling. Although I always seem to mess this up, I do try to do this with my family and friends. If you have teenagers, be warned that you might just flash back to a time that was not so great.
When you feel like you are at the end of your patience with friends, family, co-workers, or whomever you have to deal with on a regular basis, just stop. Take a short walk and try to see things from their perspective. This can be tough because part of you will just want to scream out that you are right and that there is no other possibility. Still, force yourself to at least consider that these other people have feelings, thoughts and ideas just like you do, even if they are different. I’m not suggesting that you should walk back to them and sit them down for a bunch of hand holding and repeating what you each “heard’ each other say. I think that just makes both people feel sort of silly unless your on TV. What I am suggesting is that you should at least realize that the other person’s feelings are not necessarily “wrong” just because they are different from your feelings. When you realize that you are not the center of every person’s universe, things can look a lot different. You can even learn something every once in a while.
We could all benefit from slowing down every once in a while and really take a reading of the people around us. What I mean is, just stop and try to imagine what the people you care about have been feeling. Although I always seem to mess this up, I do try to do this with my family and friends. If you have teenagers, be warned that you might just flash back to a time that was not so great.
When you feel like you are at the end of your patience with friends, family, co-workers, or whomever you have to deal with on a regular basis, just stop. Take a short walk and try to see things from their perspective. This can be tough because part of you will just want to scream out that you are right and that there is no other possibility. Still, force yourself to at least consider that these other people have feelings, thoughts and ideas just like you do, even if they are different. I’m not suggesting that you should walk back to them and sit them down for a bunch of hand holding and repeating what you each “heard’ each other say. I think that just makes both people feel sort of silly unless your on TV. What I am suggesting is that you should at least realize that the other person’s feelings are not necessarily “wrong” just because they are different from your feelings. When you realize that you are not the center of every person’s universe, things can look a lot different. You can even learn something every once in a while.