“His world must be so small.” I had a friend who would say this when she came across a man who couldn’t handle anything “different” than himself or his personal experiences. I found myself using this same catty phrase as a quick way to come to terms with what I considered ignorant behavior.

We are all guilty of behaving like this in some manner. We live in our world because that is where our life happens. And sometimes it’s easier to put people in boxes so that we can feel more comfortable or validated. But what would happen if we didn’t choose the easy route and started thinking about what other people may be experiencing?

I know that many of us think we are pretty open minded, but I believe there’s always an opportunity to open our minds even a little wider. For example, if you have never been an addict, what do you think about addicts? If you have never been overweight, how do you perceive those who are? Or if you’ve never been a minority, what do you think about minorities?

Personal growth almost always requires action so what actions can you take to get out of your comfort zone and gain more perspective into what someone else is experiencing? It can be something as simple as making a commitment to questioning those catty thoughts you might have about others. Or, it could be more involved than that, such as broadening your community or volunteering to get to know others who are “different” from you in order to better understand their experiences.

I had written the rough draft of this newsletter, and within days I had a session with a beautiful soul that took the time to fully FEEL this experience. It was so moving that I shared it on Facebook Live. Check it out below if you’d like.

No one wants pity. But ALL humans want to have a sense of belonging because connection and belonging is in our DNA. The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s fear. And let’s face it, it’s easy to be “scared” of someone when we don’t take the time to understand them. Let’s stop giving in to that fear and instead try on empathy for a change. After all, empathy and compassion is where it’s at. It feels better and vibrates so much higher than fear.

Mantra: Love is Love is Love.