In the Process of Growth, You May Stumble.
Hi There,
This morning, my hand informed my brain with the first sentence it wrote in my journal: “Today’s a great day to show myself some compassion.” It came about after a dream revealed the silly move I’d made earlier in the week.
My intention had been to serve the best interest of my client, but in reality, I came across as pushy. And to think this occurred after last week’s confession about my stumbles in becoming an effective ally. Drats! When my intention is to make others feel included, and I succeed in doing the opposite, it’s a double dagger to my spirit.
My saving grace is my belief in and devotion to the Growth Mindset. This includes my mantra: “In order to grow, I must do something new. And when I try something new, I often stumble at first. As long as I learn and keep at it, eventually I’ll master the desired task”. Although this logic is alive in my head, it often fails to resonate in my heart.
Enter: Self-Compassion. What I used to think of as a weak and obstinate “forgiveness” turns out to be exactly the opposite. I discovered this when I was able to be self-compassionate. Instead of wanting to bury my head like an ostrich, I found myself feeling more connected to others. Then, WOW!
This makes sense, and it aligns with Kristen Neff’s second component of self-compassion:
“Recognizing our humanity involves being aware that all of us suffer, have flaws and make mistakes. Additionally, recognizing our humanity further helps us to remember that we are not alone.”
Being in this together, it seems not only palatable, but desirable to reach back out to that client and come clean by providing context for the incident in question. Not only does this assuage my conscience, but it also allows me the opportunity to “widen the lens”. The reward is the ability to see the world through each other’s eyes. Going forward, we’ll be more aligned.
How can you widen the lens in your communications with family, friends, colleagues and clients?
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
DRIVEN Professionals, 35 Adrienne Lane, Garrison, NY 10524