To feel more compassion is the focus for today's Mindset Monday episode on The Standing O Show. For me, compassion starts with the mindset that you and I are connected to one another, and that I’m always seeing the good in you and every living being. And, when you have goodness and peace and abundance in your life, it benefits me and the world, and vice versa. And, when you don’t, I want to do something to help when given the opportunity.

Enjoy this episode? Please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and leave a 5 star rating and review! They really do matter, and I read every one of them.Episode NotesHello, thank you for joining me today on The Standing O Show! I’m your host, Marc Smith. And, for today’s Mindset Monday, I want to talk to you about compassionTo feel more compassion is such an important key to living a satisfying life. For me, it starts with the mindset that you and I are connected to one another, and that I’m always seeing the good, or potential, in you and every living being.And, when you have goodness and peace and abundance in your life, it benefits me and the world, and vice versa. And, when you don’t, I want to do something to help when given the opportunity.So, the great thing about compassion is that it comes from within. The Association for Psychological Science says that compassion is defined as “the emotional response when perceiving suffering and involves an authentic desire to help.”So, whether acts of compassion are big or small, it doesn’t matter as long as they come from the heart. Aesop writes, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”To Feel More Compassion Has BenefitsYou know, aside from helping others, compassion also benefits you and me when we practice it. Science has shown that to feel more compassion has real mental and physical health benefits too.In an experiment at the University of British Columbia, participants received a sum of money and half of the participants were instructed to spend the money on themselves; the other half was told to spend the money on others. At the end of the study participants who had spent money on others felt significantly happier than those who had spent money on themselves. Anne Frank said, “No one ever became poor by giving.”The University of Michigan discovered that people who are motivated by compassion and are engaged in volunteerism live longer than their non-volunteering peers.Other research has shown that depression and anxiety are linked to a preoccupation with ourselves. When you do something for someone else, however, that state of self-focus shifts to a state of other-focus and can reduce stress and anxiety.I’ve really found this to be true. The fastest way for me get out of my head is to feel more compassion and help someone else. It gives me perspective, and helps me feel happy and less pre-occupied.Plato said, “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a harder battle.”And by practicing compassion, you have a ripple effect. Parneet Pal, the Chief Science Officer of Wisdom Labs in San Francisco says that “science shows that compassion is contagious; it spreads in social networks, up to three degrees of separation.”So, if I see you doing something kind for someone in need, it makes me feel good too, and more often than not, I’ll reach out and help someone. My friends and family will see that and some will do the same. Then, their friends see their acts of compassion…and so on. You get the picture.Happiness spreads and if the people around us are happy, we also become happier.Do Good, Be Kind, and Change the WorldWill you look out for someone in need today, connect, and help in whatever way you can?Or, how about doing an act of random compassionate kindness for someone else?Compassion“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama

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