Motivation for Creative People: How to Stay Creative While Gaining Money, Fame, and Reputation by Mark McGuinness

Author:Mark McGuinness [McGuinness, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lateral Action Books
Published: 2015-10-28T04:00:00+00:00

Compassion

Compassion is the ability to empathize with someone else’s suffering. The word comes from Latin via French, meaning “suffer with.” When we have compassion we feel another’s pain as if it were our own; when we act with compassion we do something to alleviate their suffering.

The upside of compassion

It is easy to see compassion as a one-way street, where the person whose suffering is relieved benefits from another’s compassion. If you recall a time someone saw you in pain and reached out to help, you will know what a powerful experience this is: even more valuable than the practical help was the fact that they cared about you.

But whenever you relieve someone else’s suffering, have you noticed how great you feel? This is because compassion frees you from the prison of individuality—it takes you out of yourself, and gives you a sense of kinship and connection with someone else. By empathizing with their emotions your own sense of identity is expanded.

This is what makes the helping professions so rewarding. It is tremendously motivating to spend your days making other people’s lives better and seeing the positive impact you have on them. I discovered this when I first started practicing as a psychotherapist, and I still experience it every day as a coach. No matter what problems I am facing in my own life, I look forward to every conversation with my clients, because I know it will take me out of myself and involve me deeply in their world. Afterwards, I have a fresh perspective on my own situation, and a sense of optimism that I can deal with it.

Compassion is essential for fulfilling relationships—whether with a life partner, family, friends, colleagues, or business partners. It creates deep intimacy and trust. And when you are prepared to share someone’s suffering, you can also share their joy.

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