Compassion

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
-Dalai Lama

My Thoughts
From what I have experienced, all people seem to be seeking happiness. We make decisions based on an expected outcome that something will make us happier. Some things we think will provide instant happiness such as: partying, shopping, watching a movie, etc... Other things won't make us happy right away, for example going to get an MBA, but we expect after the hard work is over that we will be more happy because with the MBA will come more opportunities, or so we think.

Recognizing that people are just doing what they think will bring them happiness can help us understand people better. Once we realize this then we will begin to judge people less. Our compassion will grow. This will lead to a greater feeling of inner peace and the beginning of experiencing internal happiness.

In my own life I have found that true happiness is not dependent on external conditions, it comes from within. I am not suggesting that doing an activity that you enjoy will not cause a rise in your happiness, because it can. The challenge is that sometimes when an activity we were enjoying is finished then our happiness level drops. This can create the phenomenon of simply "working for the weekend" which can lead to a cycle of happiness highs and lows. Once we start to experience inner happiness we will then find that we feel more calm, focused, and content.

I should point out that true happiness doe not involve avoiding or covering up negative emotions. On the contrary, face those emotions. Try to become aware when they are present. Once we begin doing this then finally we can start to respond to unexpected events in a more objective way. Instead of responding emotionally, we can start to see the bigger picture.

I encourage everyone to try and find ways to be more compassionate this week.

Have an excellent week.