“The value of compassion cannot be over-emphasized. Anyone can criticize. It takes a true believer to be compassionate. No greater burden can be borne by an individual than to know no one cares or understands.”
— Arthur H. Stainback

When we think of being compassionate, it often relates to people that we already care about or situations we can understand through personal experience. Perhaps we also can extend compassion for those we see suffering in ways we have never known personally, but we feel they don’t deserve it.

But what about compassion for those we don’t like. Or for things we think are inherently “bad”? Do they not deserve compassion as well? If we hear a little voice saying things like, “They deserved it anyway”; Or “She wasn’t a nice person, so she brought it on herself”; take a step back and see if you can find a new angle on the situation.

Compassion comes also from finding value in things that we may judge or criticize as bad and accepting them for that newly found value. There is something good in all people and all things. That is part of the balance of the universe. Compassion does not mean condoning “bad” things. It means accepting and understanding that there is good in there as well.

Beautiful music is wonderful for the mind, body, and soul. If you are feeling bad, down, overwhelmed or stressed, music can truly take you to another state of being.

For me, music changes everything. Listening to it is one thing and it can lift my mood almost instantly, and singing truly nourishes my soul. Sing — anywhere, anytime. Help your immune system and actually change your brain by singing. Just sing.

And plunk in your favorite CD right when you get home from work. Dance around in the kitchen while you prepare dinner. Let music be the medicine of choice.

Check out all the innovative Music to Care for Your Life products on their official web site right now. If you want to bring this music into your life take advantage of a 5% discount at check-out with discount code: 7151.

“If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world.”
— Thomas Merton

Inner peace can be found through many different methods: through meditation, through gratitude, through love. When you make decisions in your life that bring about a sense of calmness it means that you are listening to your inner guides or your intuition which will not lead you astray.

This little bit of peace may seem so insignificant when there are so many people suffering in the world and so much conflict wherever we look. But if everyone were to focus on peace within themselves, it would lead to more peace in the world one person at a time.

“The chief lesson I have learned in a long life is that the only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him and show your distrust.”
—Henry L. Stimson (1867 - 1950)

The power of your thoughts can influence trusting another person. As Henry Stimson points out, the more you believe and treat someone as trustworthy, the more trustworthy they become to you. Conversely, if you put all your energy into not trusting someone, they will turn out to be untrustworthy. You create your own reality with your thoughts and beliefs.

But I would also encourage you to discover what is the true nature of your distrust. Is it based on present facts or fears? From personal experience, I have found that trusting someone has more to do with allowing yourself to open up to possible vulnerabilities. And therefore it has not so much to do with the other’s actions or behavior, but more to do with your own fear of being hurt.

In order to trust someone else, it is vital that you begin to trust yourself. You must trust that you are a strong enough person to handle whatever comes your way. You must trust that you are able to open your heart up and allow others in. In doing so you face your fear of getting hurt. And as Shakti Gawain reminds us, “When I’m trusting and being myself… everything in my life reflects this by falling into place easily, often miraculously.”

“Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends.”
— Czech Proverb

I know some people who have been hurt, emotionally, by people they thought loved them. And understandably they are now cautious of trusting again, loving again. So they put up their protection shields to keep people out. That way they won’t get hurt again, right?

But what are they keeping out? Perhaps they won’t get hurt by others, but the life they are now creating seems to be hurting their chances for joy, their chances for feeling love again. As much as we all would prefer to live without hurt, keeping everyone out for fear of them hurting us again will also keep out all who would love us again.

Instead of surrounding yourself with a fence of mistrust and fear, surround yourself with a circle of supportive and loving friends. Allow yourself to attract those that would love you by loving others first.

“It is only by following your deepest instinct that you can lead a rich life, and if you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, then your life will be safe, expedient and thin.”
—Katharine Butler Hathaway

There are two different voices that can call out to you from within, so it is easy to be fooled. One is your true inner self giving you the guidance to follow your heart, to follow your intuition, to follow your gut. Its voice is nudging but in a gentle knowing way. It will lead you to what is best for you. It is often described as a calm sense of knowing.

The other voice is usually more intense so it can be heard often louder than the true voice of intuition. But it can also be described as panicky, even abusive and it is closely associated to the ego. Often there are many judgments attached to the reasoning, and the outcome is usually not a happy or satisfying one. The underlying emotion is one based on fear.

If you are in a moment of indecision and you don’t know which voice to listen to, relax, take some deep breaths and ask in a loving, calm voice for the true answer to come to you. You will be surprised at how clearly the answer arrives when you are open to receiving it.

To understand how to tap into (or unlock) your intuition, check out Andrea Hess’ book, Unlock Your Intuition:

“Conversation is food for the soul.”
— Mexican Proverb

Our whole self needs to be taken care of to keep healthy. In the same way that you need to feed your physical body with healthy foods for nourishment, it is important to feed your mind with positive thoughts, and your soul with personal growth through life challenges.

All three, body, mind, and soul, also need to rest in order to function at their best. The body requires sleep, the mind and soul can both benefit from meditation or mindfulness practices.

It is time to rethink optimal health. It is not just the realm of the body. One must take into consideration the whole self.

“Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence.”
— Norman Podhoretz

Having a creative outlet may have enormous emotional benefits such as feeling productive and good about yourself and allowing yourself to express your inner feelings in a positive way.

Being creative is not something that you have to leave to the artists of the world. How you choose to uniquely express yourself can be done in many different forms: writing, scrapbooking, painting, drawing, photography, gardening, cooking and baking.

Another great benefit of allowing time for creativity is that you can do it to add some quiet time to your hectic schedule, or find a new group of people to share your hidden passions. It can also be a nice way to spend quality time with your friends and family sharing your interests and teaching each other.

“The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.”
—Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC)

Gratitude is a great way to maintain balance in your life. Being grateful for the great powers around us that help us day to day is essential to continued abundance and well-being. Being thankful for all the small details that come together to complete the puzzle of our lives is also just as important.

However, one of the most neglected areas to keep in balance is our awareness of our own inner powers. How quick we are to acknowledge others and their abilities, and how quick we usually are to bring ourselves down. We choose to look at the mistakes we have made in our lives, and dismiss all the wonderful things about us that make us powerful, unique individuals.

“One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another is listen to each other’s stories.”
— Rebecca Falls

I have always had the opportunity to listen to the stories of my friends and family. They often turned to me for a sympathetic ear or even, from time to time, a shoulder to cry on. I may not have always had the perfect thing to say to comfort them, or know the right advice to get them through. But that wasn’t what they really needed anyway.

We all need a safe place to share our stories so that we can release our emotions and move on to a healthy, happy state of mind. Switch the roles every now and then and be the ear for someone else. Find that support person that will unconditionally be there to hear you.

If you have something you would like to safely and anonymously write about, leave a comment and let it out. Maybe someone out there is going through a similar situation and can offer a tip or two as well.