What does success have to do with being a compassionate person? The answer is a lot. When you think of someone who is compassionate, do you associate it with someone who has a martyr/victim personality? Most folks associate compassionate people as soft or weak.
However, compassionate people have an amazing superpower – they know how to use compassion as a strength and not a weakness. Here are a few habits of highly compassionate people.
They do not Take Things Personally
People who emulate compassion both to themselves and for others, have learned the art of not taking things personally. They know when a mistake happens, that is simply a fact – a mistake happened. Some of you may know this as "humility". Yes, humility is a form of compassion toward yourself and others. Highly compassionate people do not focus on how much of a failure they are or how stupid they feel. They simply focus on the problem and do not internalize it as being about themselves. This allows them to take the next step.
The Move Forward Quickly and Rebound
Since compassionate people practice self-compassion as well as compassion for others, they can move forward quickly. They do not make the problem, mistake, or situation about them. There is less ruminating, worrying, and talking about problems. There is more of a focus on learning quickly from the experience, moving forward, and coming up with creative solutions.
They Come up with Solutions to Problems
Rather than ruminating, compassionate people come up with creative solutions to difficult problems. Compassionate people are good at feeling what it is like for someone else to experience pain, almost as if they were the ones experiencing it. This offers them an advantage in helping others solve those problems. This one quality has many benefits:
In relationships, compassionate people can empathize with others and are better able to problem solve.
In business, compassionate people can feel their client’s pain points, communicate with empathy, and help them find creative solutions.
Socially, compassionate people invite others to be vulnerable due to their trustworthy and empathic qualities.
Compassionate people have a superpower in being able to listen effectively to what people are saying as well as what they are not saying; what they are holding back on.
Compassionate people have an uncanny sense about other people. This enables them to feel, see, and hear what others are experiencing. Compassion is an attractive quality. Compassionate people can draw near to them people who need their gifts, skills, and talents. This gives them an opportunity to not only succeed, but to excel in personal relationships as well as in business settings.
The personality trait of being compassionate is not one of weakness. It is one of personal strength. Maintaining a balance between compassion and having strong boundaries is a winning combination.
Where in your life can you find ways to be more compassionate to yourself? Where in your life can you find ways to be more compassionate to others?