The Essential Guidebook to Mindfulness in Recovery by John Bruna

Author:John Bruna
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Central Recovery Press, LLC
Published: 2018-01-15T16:00:00+00:00

Compassion Exercise One

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

MAHATMA GANDHI

One of the benefits of cultivating empathy and compassion in our recovery is that it expands our understanding of ourselves and connects us to our world. Ultimately, we know the world only through the lens of our personal experience. We are the center of our universe when it comes to personal knowledge and the experience of it. Of course, this is a limited understanding because each of us is only one of more than seven billion humans on this planet, all with their own personal experiences, ideas, values, and understanding of the world. Unfortunately, it is easy to forget we have such a limited perspective and, unless we actively seek to expand it, we can lose our opportunity to discover our own inner resources and meaning in life.

If we are to know ourselves deeply, it is essential that we explore our connection with others and experience life through a wide variety of perspectives and experiences. It is difficult to learn much about ourselves and what is truly meaningful in life if we remain focused primarily on our own needs. In fact, not only do we miss the opportunity to grow in more meaningful ways, but we also suffer more. One of the great paradoxes is that the more we focus on ourselves the more we are troubled by even small things that don’t go our way. Conversely, as we become more we-centered instead of me-centered, not only do we find more meaning and purpose in life, but also many of the self-centered problems that once plagued us give way to a deeper sense of self-worth and well-being.

As Mahatma Gandhi points out, one of the best ways to discover ourselves, including our own value and potential, is to be helpful to others in need. In helping others, we see and experience firsthand struggle, resiliency, character, success, and failure. These are all seeds of our own personal development and inner wisdom.

For the next two days, find ways to be of service to others. It would be ideal to be helpful to people different from you in some way or simply someone you find challenging to be around. Let your motivation be that of compassion, desiring to help lighten their suffering in some way.

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