Category: Kindness
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Are You Sure You’re Responding with Empathy? Here’s a Checklist of Common Mistakes
To respond with empathy might be our intention but it’s not as easy it might seem. Our busy and caring minds tend to jump to so many potential responses, yet we have to be aware that not all of them are what creates that meaningful connection. So what is an empathetic response and what are the common mistakes we make?
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Are You a Deep Listener?
Deep listening is a thing: if you’ve ever felt that you weren’t truly seen in a conversation then you know it’s real. How can we improve our listening skills? What frameworks and reminders can we use? I have some suggestions for you. That’s a mix of what psychology, Buddhist psychology, and nonviolent communication point to.
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When Things Are Tough
Sometimes, fear, insecurities, and self-doubt take over. Whatever journey you’re on, it can get really tough at times. Here are some frameworks you can use to face your struggle with grace.
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Trust the Practice, Not The Outcome
Doing creative work is hard. By default, there’s a lot of uncertainty and, potentially, doubt involved. Listen to what Seth Godin has to say about it: he will leave you inspired and ready to trust yourself.
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The Potentially Life-Saving Difference Between Guilt and Shame
The price of not realising the difference between shame and guilt – words that we sometimes use interchangeably, right? – can be a life of misery.
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Are You Setting Healthy Boundaries?
When unchecked, weak boundaries can result in accumulating grudges for the things we never really wanted to do in the first place. They can also lead to us simply not engaging with the tasks we’re taking on.
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Nice Toolbox! What’s Inside?
Whatever system you use, whatever toolkit you have, make sure it’s a good one. Don’t forget to update it, to expand it, or to thank and remove what’s not needed anymore. I think there are multiple toolkits we and should be working on, but every other toolkit might not be as effective without this one. Accomplishment without joy, busyness without meaning, stress without purpose, relationships without being seen…
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The Dangers of Shaming Self-Talk
What’s the difference between “I did something bad” and “I AM bad?” That’s the difference between guilt and shame. And what such self-talk correlates with will scare you.
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The Pandemic Sucks. Its Lessons Don’t, Though
The COVID 19 pandemic has been one rough ride. Let’s make sure we are extracting all the knowledge, all the learnings we can from it – especially since it’s been so painful to gain them.
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Beware: The Stressor Might Be Gone, But The Stress Might Not
Is it enough to remove the stressor from our lives to be done with stress? Weirdly, the answer is NO.