Adopt empathy and compassion as your “North Star” or mission in life, as this foundational mindset will naturally lead to actions that help the planet and future generations.
To deal with an amygdala hijack and practice self-management, consciously widen the gap between your first impulse and what you actually do or say, allowing you to choose a more effective response.
To be truly kind and tune into others, first ensure you are calm and clear, as being flooded with fears or anger will distort your perception of the other person.
To quickly shift from fight-or-flight to a relaxed physiological state, take six to nine deep breaths into your belly, holding each for a comfortable duration before exhaling slowly.
Engage in mindfulness practice by watching your thoughts and feelings carefully without judgment, acknowledging them, and letting them go, which strengthens brain circuits for observation and concentration.
To build empathic concern and compassion, practice the “Circle of Caring” exercise by envisioning someone you’re grateful to and wishing them well, then extending those wishes to yourself, loved ones, acquaintances, and eventually everyone.
Make a conscious shift in your personal practice towards developing empathic concern and compassion, as this increases your willingness to acknowledge and address other people’s suffering.
To develop empathy, tune into others by consciously picking up on non-verbal cues like tone of voice and facial expressions, as people rarely communicate their feelings in words.
To boost self-awareness, regularly ask yourself “What am I thinking about?” and “What am I feeling?” to tune into your internal state.
Take a moment to pause and introspect, tuning into what’s going on inside your mind, as a “rough and ready” way to become more self-aware.
Actively maintain strong and resilient relationships by making an effort to connect with friends and family through phone calls or video calls, especially when in-person contact is limited.
To heal societal divides, actively maintain one-on-one friendships with people who hold different beliefs or come from different backgrounds, as these relationships can help bridge gaps and reduce negative feelings.
To encourage positive emotions and persistence, picture how you will feel when you achieve a long-term goal, as this activates brain circuitry that makes you feel good and keeps you motivated despite setbacks.
Practice self-management by cultivating a positive outlook, such as believing “tomorrow’s a new day” even when things don’t work out, to encourage positive emotions.
Beyond wishing well, actively engage in “compassion in action” by doing something to help others, such as setting up schools or health clinics in poor parts of the world, as advocated by the Dalai Lama.
To gauge and practice compassion, make a point to acknowledge homeless individuals by stopping to talk to them or offering food or money, rather than letting them feel invisible.
Regularly assess your compassion by considering if you are giving money to charity or volunteering your time to help others, thereby moving the needle towards positive impact.
As a boss, if you notice a direct report is having a hard time, reach out one-on-one to have a caring conversation about how they are doing and what they want from life or their career, as this is an act of compassion.
Cultivate compassion by paying serious attention and being truly present to the other person in human-to-human interactions.
When interacting on Zoom, make a conscious effort to watch the other person very carefully and pick up fleeting facial expressions to better sense their emotional state and understand their needs, compensating for the loss of direct eye contact.
Dedicate as much of your morning as possible to practice (e.g., meditation), as consistent daily practice helps maintain progress and offers greater benefits.
To advance more quickly in your meditation practice, attend retreats where you can go to a distraction-free environment and devote entire days to practicing for a series of days.
Practice “muscular compassion” by advocating for accountability and transparency in governance to combat corruption, as the Dalai Lama views this as a form of compassion.
Engage in “muscular compassion” by taking actions to slow or halt climate change, which the Dalai Lama considers a form of compassion.
To act with compassion for the planet, seek transparency on the environmental impact of your daily habits and purchases, asking if you are contributing to the problem or the solution.
Teach children cognitive control by encouraging them to delay gratification, such as completing homework before playing video games, as this skill predicts future success.
Advocate for the teaching of emotional intelligence skills, known as Social Emotional Learning (SEL), to children in schools, as it helps them develop self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and social skills from a young age.
If you want to improve your boss’s emotional intelligence, particularly in giving performance feedback, avoid direct confrontation; instead, find allies among their peers to discuss ways to offer constructive help.
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