Most of us find it much easier to have compassion for others than for ourselves.  Our conscious mind looks at any and all perceived flaws we may have and magnifies them 100 or more times. 

While we may feel unworthy, the truth is  no one is more worthy of our own compassion than us.  It is for our benefit and the benefit of others that widening our compassion for ourselves is a worthy endeavor.

If we recognize that we are Divine beings who chose to have the human experience we are having to further the higher evolution of our Soul, that alone is worthy of our compassion.  If we also recognize that we chose to have this experience knowing the challenges we would face and the lessons we sought to learn, that alone is worthy of our compassion.

Each of us made a choice to journey forth from the unconditionally loving and protective arms of Spirit to fully engage in our current experience all for evolution of our Soul as well as all Souls which are Divinely connected to and through Spirit.  I believe that is certainly worthy of our own compassion.

There are many ways to express compassion for yourself.  I will describe a simple exercise below that I hope and trust will assist you in widening your compassion for yourself.

1.  Sit In A Comfortable & Relaxed Position.  While in this position become aware of your breatheing.

2.  Breathe In And Breathe Out Compassion.  As you are aware of yourself breathing in and breathing out repeat the following words to yourself.

(Breathe In) I am compassionate

(Breathe Out)  As Spirit is compassionate

3.   Visualize or Imagine Your Compassion.  As you are breathing in “I am compassionate” and breathing out “As Spirit is compassionate”, begin to visualize or imagine the compassion you have shown to others.  Allow yourself to fully re-experience this feeling.

4.   Turn Your Compassion Inward.  Once you have fully connected with the feeling of compassion you have shown to others, slowly turn that compassion inward, and share that feeling with yourself.  Imagine your Divine Soul, and the difficult choice you made to have your human experience.  remember one or more challenging moments you have had and shower that memory with the feeling of compassion that is within you.  Take your time with this step and fully share your compassion with and for yourself.

5.   Express Your Gratitude.  Once you have fully shared your compassion with yourself, the final step is to express your gratitude for your willingness to pursue and persevere on your journey.  There is no right or wrong way to do this.  i will share a brief example below to get you started.

“I am grateful to myself for my willingness to fully engage in this human experience and I am grateful for…

This simple yet powerful exercise is a wonderful gift that I encourage you to give to yourself.  If you have any questions, you can always email me at mitchell@thechampionsheart.com

I welcome all of your comments on this post and/or suggestions for future posts. 

If you have been reading this or similar blogs for any length of time you are well aware of the power words have on your subconscious mind.  Of ocurse I have talked about the power of affirmations quite a bit, and even did a short video on my Five Minute A Day Power Affirmations Routine.

Today I want to focus on the words we use to make agreements either with ourselves or someone else.  Quite often we overlook the power of our words especially when we feel the “agreement” isn’t that important to begin with, such as arriving a few minutes late for an appointment.

I had a situation today with someone who was doing some work for me.  I had already spoken to him a couple days ago about the importance of keeping his word and being on time.  I went on to further explain that being on time meant being ready to work at the appointed time.  It is not enough to show up at 7am take 10-15 minutes to get ready to work and then start working at 7:15am, if you had agreed to start work at 7am.

With His Words, He Was Only Deceiving Himself

In the situation today he had agreed to show up at 6:45 am to ensure that he started working by 7am.  When he showed up at 7:10am.  I asked him what happened?  He said “I am not going to lie, I ran late”.  I responded “I know, what happened?”.  He took offense to my question and responded why are you getting on my a**, I am only a few minutes late”.

I said “you’re twenty five minutes late”  He showed me his watch and said “what time is it?”.  I responded “What time did you agree to be here?”  He said “Yeah but I don’t start work until 7am”.  This is coming from someone who prides himself on being “honest” and who wants me to refer him to others so he can get more work.

It may seem like I’m making a big deal about a small thing, and that is my point.  How can we trust ourselves to make big changes in our life, if we can’t even be honest with ourselves about the little things.  Every time we fail to keep our word or honor our agreement, no matter how small, it gets reinforced in our subconscious mind, that we “don’t do what we say we’re going to do”.

The Subconscious Mind Does Not Distinguish Between Big And Small Agreements

Remember the subconscious mind does not have the power of reason.  It views not keeping your word about being on time the same as not keeping your word about paying your bills, or being faithful to your spouse.  To the subconscious mind their is no difference.

I find that people make agreements far to lightly, and after making them don’t take them seriously enough.  It’s not just a matter of letting somenone else down, we also let ourselves down.  When that happens all those judgements about feeling unworthy and less than, just intensify.

Their is a wonderful book that has been out for several years, “The Four Agreements”  by Don Miguel Ruiz, that I recommend.  It does a beautiful job of explaining the importance of keeping our agreements, and the needless suffering that results when we don’t.  I have listed the Four Agreements that are in the book below.  I hope and trust you can see the wisdom in these agreements. and will be encouraged to investigate them further.

The Four Agreements are:

1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

 I weclcome your comments on this post as well as suggestions for future posts.

A friend asked me a question the the other day, that I am sure a lot of people have on their mind these days.  He asked  “When will I go to sleep without worry and wake up with a smile on my face?”  The answer I gave him was a simple one “When you are fully present in the moment and centered in your heart”. Most of us know this, and yet it never ceases to amaze me how quickly we forget when our world gets shaken up a bit.

What we choose to focus on and think about has a direct impact on how we feel emotionally, mentally, physically, and Spiritually.  Focusing on the past and what we should have or could have done only serves to prolong the frustration, disappointment, and perhaps anger and judgement.  Worrying about the future and what “might happen” only causes unnecessary stress and anxiety, doubt and fear.

Now is the only moment we have any control over, and now is where our full attention is best served.  What thoughts and actions right now in this moment are most likely to bring you peace, joy, happiness, & well being?  Think of those things.  Take those actions.  The rest will take care of itself.

I welcome your comments and feedback.