Reader
The last couple of months have been interesting, difficult times with unmet expectations. This summer was supposed to be our big summer, the summer where we took off and travel, we were not sure where, but travel. After all, that is the beauty of remote work.
We were ready, didn't get summer camps for Ian and had several places already looked at ... we are not big planners, more spare of the moment and go with the flow type of people.
But life had something else for us. Even before summer started, we knew that Chris was going to spent all summer in physical therapy. I was grateful that therapy was available to him, but it cut our summer short.
With that in mind, we booked a trip to Yellowstone three months in advance, that for us is HUGE, we had planned the end of our summer with an amazing road trip with friends to Yellowstone.
We are packing, we are getting everything ready:
- bear spray
- bear horns
- bear bells
- mosquito repellent
- hiking boots
All in the car, ready for our adventure.
The night before in my Taekowndo class, as we were getting ready for our belt testing, I do a routine flying side kick and as I land, my knee gives up completely. One more thing, that gets in the way of my summer plans.
As we patiently wait in the ER until 1:00AM, I can't help but alook at all the people around us. As weird as it sounds, I'm grateful, I'm grateful that we have insurance and that I was still waiting. That meant I was not in imminate danger.
I left the ER with a knew brace and crutches, not the ideal way to start our adventure.But there was no choice, the brace and crutches were absolutely needed.
I did however had a choice, a limited version of Yellowstone or forfeit the rest of our summer and spend the week in bed. So my choice was to size the moment and embark on a great adventure.
I keep thinking that it was interesting that this happened as I am talking about the power of choice and understanding our reactions and reframing negative thoughts. Specially in times of conflicts, either with ourselves, our family, friends or anyone else.
It is common to see these comments of conflict with anger and frustration. Today, I invite you to have compassion.
Compassion involves empathy and a desire to alleviate suffering. It's about seeing the humanity in others, even when we disagree with them. And compassion starts with us, so how do we practice compassion?
Start with yourself: when you feel triggered, practice self-compassion by acknowledging your feelings without judgment, all feelings are valid. This creates a foundation for extending compassion to others.
Empathy in Action: When in conflict, try to see the situation from the other person's perspective. What might they be feeling or thinking? Empathy doesn't mean you agree, but it fosters understanding.
Choose to respond with kindness, even when it's challenging. This doesn't mean suppressing your feelings but expressing them in a way that is respectful and constructive.
Choosing compassion in conflict can transform your relationships and bring peace to challenging situations. Every moment of conflict is an opportunity to practice empathy and kindness.
During out trip, there were moments where I was very frustrated because I didn't agree on how things were being done or things were not going the way I had planned. But compassion allowed me see possibilities, to see caring where frustration was, to see love instead of anger. To see possibilitites instead of roadblocks.
Stay compassionate and keep making powerful choices!
If you want to learn more about creating more choices in your life, make an appointment for a no-cost strategy session.