You never know how you come across to others. It’s something I always wonder about, do you?
Last week, I was asked to speak to a group, mostly community organizations and nonprofits, with the purpose of giving them a positive and up lifting message. This gift was given back to me as a summary of what someone heard. I think I hit the mark for both…
“Everybody Thrives”
Everyone deals with multiple things at once in our daily lives. COVID-19 has changed the way we do everything and our life patterns. Even though we have learned to work harder, we have not learned how to receive gifts. Despite the pandemic, we have been given the gift of appreciating our loved ones and spending more time with them. We are learning the gift of focusing on the present and the things we can control.
Focus on others and control the controllables
The holidays are upon us and there are 3 things we can get better at in the New Year. The first is to get better at building relationship and maintaining them. We should be encouraged to reach out and take an interest in those around us. The second is to develop empathy. We all have it, and it is a critical value in our work. We can further develop our empathy as a skill by utilizing it in our language.
What can I do for you?
Remember, it is not about what you can do for me but what can I do for you. We do not have to do anything extraordinary to demonstrate empathy. We can simply say, “That must be hard. How can I support you? I’m here for you.” The last thing is to practice gratitude. When we have an attitude of gratitude, it changes everything.
Build Relationships
Practice Empathy
Show Gratitude
The way we can get better at those 3 things is by living a balanced life. We work endlessly for our loved ones and the community, but we tend to neglect ourselves. Self-care is vital and we must be serious about taking care of our needs first. We matter. We deserve to have our needs met. There are so many resources that can help us live a well-balanced life and practice self-care. When we take care of ourselves first, it enables us to take care of others better.
Live a balanced life
Ray’s hope is that in this holiday season and in the new year, that each of us can identify our blessings so that our burdens may be light, our minds clear, and our hearts open.
May our burdens may be light, our minds clear, and our hearts open