While compassionate leadership does focus on others, it focuses equally on the self. At Technalink, we encourage all of our compassionate leaders to show the same compassion inward as they show to their teams. What is self-compassion? A few ways to practice self-compassion in your everyday life are:
• Analyze your self-talk – Anxiety, stress, and other factors can make people harder on themselves, and before you know it, this “hardness” can turn to the kind of cruelty that causes you to lose confidence within yourself. If something doesn’t go according to plan, or you experience a setback, practice mindfulness to gauge just how your mind talks to itself. If you catch your mind speaking unkindly to yourself, think about what you’d say to a friend who is in the same situation. Turn that back onto you and give yourself the same encouraging pep talk you’d pass onto others. Compassionate leadership understands mistakes, and this includes mistakes you may make.
• Meditate for self-compassion – Meditation can be a powerful tool in building compassion for the self. With a compassionate stone like rose quartz, mala prayer beads can guide your positive affirmations during a mindful meditation session. Choose a simple affirmation like “I am worthy of compassion”, and as you run the beads through your fingers, repeat the affirmation with each one. Focus solely on the feeling of the beads in your hands, the affirmation being repeated in your mind, and observe the thoughts that come through. By the end of your session, these thoughts will shift dramatically to the positive.
• Celebrate the small things – Washing a load of laundry is an achievement, having a great conversation is an achievement, even something as simple as fixing yourself a healthy breakfast is an achievement. Every small thing you achieve throughout the day, you deserve recognition for it. Don’t be afraid to give yourself the pat on the back you deserve.
While it may come naturally to you to treat others with kindness, it’s important to be honest with yourself regarding how you treat you as well. You can’t expect to progress in your compassionate leadership without self-compassion, and these few simple steps put you on your way to treating yourself the way you deserve to be treated.
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