Everyone gets down from time to time.
What do you do when disappointment gets the best of you? We all deal with it in some way.
Sometime we wallow, push through, drown it out, often all of the above. I will share one strategy that probably isn’t at the top of your mind when you’re at the bottom.
When I read this quote by Mary Anne Radmacher it really caught my attention. I’m quite drawn to the idea of “paying it forward”, or engaging in an act of kindness without any expectation of reciprocation or even acknowledgement for that matter. In fact, acting with compassion and kindness creates an internal response that will physiologically change your mind-state, lifting you from the doldrums. Engaging in acts of kindness are one of those small daily habits of our most well-balanced and successful fellow humans.
Rules are not without their caveats, right?
Do you tend to get pissed off when you hold the door for someone and they don’t offer a thanks? This isn’t going to do a damn thing to improve your joy factor. Intention means everything. It is to be in service to others that produces this effect, so when the act is done to be noticed or expressly for the intention of making ourselves feel better, it sets us up for further disappointment. Improving our own well-being is a collateral outcome. Genuinely understanding that your action, no matter the magnitude, is reducing another’s stress level and creating an internal response in them that will carry over to those with whom they interact is the key creating a more peaceful community and world.
Share examples of endeavors of compassion and kindness that have impacted you. Hashtag them #mydailyhelping to connect to others caring endeavors through my friend, Dr. Richard Shuster, at The Daily Helping.
