Live Compassion Better

Intentional Compassion

I am convinced that a life well lived requires compassion for self and for others. Last week I wrote Just Peace, and since then I’ve been thinking about how living life better is so much more than simply getting a lot done. One of my favorite John Wooden quotes is,

“don’t mistake activity for achievement.”

This is a great reminder to step back and consider what we genuinely want and what truly makes life better. A compelling life is not a series of completed task lists. A compelling life is a life well lived. It's an intentional life lived one compassionate day after another. I am convinced that if we want to live life better, we must find ways to live compassion better.

The Dream of Compassion

Let’s try this out. Let’s make a plan. Let’s be dreamers. If compassion is to be a priority in our lives, what exactly does that look like? When we value and care for ourselves and others, we are showing compassion. This begins with awareness, and this awareness creates a vision of where we are and where we would like to be. That vision of daily compassion can guide our daily plans so we can close the gap of our current life and our best life. Then each day, we can choose tasks that help us live compassion better.

The Workshop of Compassion

Let’s try this out. Let’s make some progress. Let’s be carpenters. If compassion is a priority in our lives, how do we make it happen? Compassion is living and active. We value and care for ourselves and others by putting our intentional plans into action and by intentionally doing the daily work. I love the vision of a skilled carpenter working methodically, beginning with the end in mind, performing a series of tasks directed toward a defined goal. When we walk into our compassion workshop, we must be prepared to make daily progress. In our workshop we are completing tasks that help us live compassion better.

The Garden of Compassion

Let’s try this out. Let’s enjoy the process. Let’s be gardeners. If compassion is a priority in our lives, how do we nurture it so it will grow? Compassion is alive and must be nurtured. The gardener knows they cannot force plants to grow. They simply design the environment and provide optimal conditions that allow for growth. Growth is a result of the gardener's patient nurturing. In our garden of compassion, we can’t force growth. We value it, watch it, and care for it. When we do, we can enjoy the process of growing compassion for ourselves and for others. This is how we grow a compelling life. This is how we live life better. This is the fruit when we live compassion better.

Live Compassion Better...

Make a Plan - for the Dream.

Make Some Progress - in the Workshop.

Enjoy the Process - in the Garden.

...and Live Life Better