Empathy is a social intelligence worth having and honing Empathy meets you where you are as you are Without judgements and competition Empathy is a resiunding resonance Empathic communication leaves you touched and heard. Empathy allows you to show acceptance and sense connection.
Empathy walks through and paves its way into the heart Empathy is about sensing anothers heart and its ways Empathy motivates the spirit and nurtures the being. Empathy is a social intelligence A much needed life skill Empathy speaks more powerfully than words as its from all of you Empathy connects through in an instant. For Empathy is the way of the heart and heart knows the way.
Don’t call someone more than twice continuously. If they don’t pick up your call, presume they have something important to attend to;
Return money that you have borrowed even before the person that borrowed you remember or ask for it. It shows your integrity and character. Same goes with umbrellas, pens and lunch boxes.
Never order the expensive dish on the menu when someone is giving you a lunch/dinner.
Don’t ask awkward questions like ‘Oh so you aren’t married yet?’ Or ‘Don’t you have kids’ or ‘Why didn’t you buy a house?’ Or why don’t you buy a car? For God’s sake it isn’t your problem;
Always open the door for the person coming behind you. It doesn’t matter if it is a guy or a girl, senior or junior. You don’t grow small by treating someone well in public;
If you take a taxi with a friend and he/she pays now, try paying next time;
Respect different shades of opinions. Remember what’s 6 to you will appear 9 to someone facing you. Besides, second opinion is good for an alternative;
Never interrupt people talking. Allow them to pour it out. As they say, hear them all and filter them all;
If you tease someone, and they don’t seem to enjoy it, stop it and never do it again. It encourages one to do more and it shows how appreciative you’re;
Say “thank you” when someone is helping you.
Praise publicly. Criticize privately;
There’s almost never a reason to comment on someone’s weight. Just say, “You look fantastic.” If they want to talk about losing weight, they will;
When someone shows you a photo on their phone, don’t swipe left or right. You never know what’s next;
If a colleague tells you they have a doctors’ appointment, don’t ask what it’s for, just say “I hope you’re okay”. Don’t put them in the uncomfortable position of having to tell you their personal illness. If they want you to know, they’ll do so without your inquisitiveness;
Treat the cleaner with the same respect as the CEO. Nobody is impressed at how rude you can treat someone below you but people will notice if you treat them with respect;
If a person is speaking directly to you, staring at your phone is rude;
Never give advice until you’re asked;
When meeting someone after a long time, unless they want to talk about it, don’t ask them their age and salary;
Mind your business unless anything involves you directly – just stay out of it;
Remove your sunglasses if you are talking to anyone in the street. It is a sign of respect. Moreso, eye contact is as important as your speech; and
Never talk about your riches in the midst of the poor. Similarly, don’t talk about your children in the midst of the barren.
22.After reading a good message try to say “Thanks for the message”.
APPRECIATION remains the easiest way of getting what you don’t have….
Sometimes good work needs appreciation… And that becomes a source of inspiration to do more … Today I am sharing a few of my dear daughters social work experiences at her stint with the HOPE foundation in India, in her own words that she had expressed about the satisfaction and contentment from the heart in doing good and sharing goodwill with the world around us.
I hope it inspires and motivates more in the path of positive intentions and acts of goodwill.
Have been working with an non profit organisation called H.O.P.E for almost a year now.Even though I focused primarily on events , I did want to try helping in their other verticals like Ad Care ,which was basically teaching shelter home children , academically as well as non academically.
Now, the children here hated studying and upon entering for the first time , all I noticed was books thrown outside the window! So we decided to use glitter pens and stickers to motivate them.
I was one such volunteer who taught English through games and then I would draw something for them on their hands because they loved the idea of ‘glitter tattoos’. Everytime I’d do so, all the kids would lineup to get one of their own and I honestly enjoyed the process every Sunday even though I sucked at drawing(I literally drew the kid version of a bird but that would still make them happy). Soon it led to me writing their names for them glitter pens in different fonts.
Coming back to the photo, this was clicked a day before Christmas and I was writing their names in different fonts when two kids asked me to write their parents names as well. This took me by shock as most of them are orphans or have been abandoned by their parents. Nevertheless, I did write their names the way they wanted and it lead to a moment that crushed my soul.
I watched them both High five after the tattoos for the fact that both of them had never seen their parents and they abandoned them here. I was truly appalled as I saw them jump in excitement and running down the hallway.
When I was leaving , the kids came to me and asked me to click a photo with them and asked me to spend every festival with them as they felt lonely. Kudos to our team and H.O.P.E for making a difference! 🙂
Allowing the art to speak and acknowledging its flow is of essence, to sense and enjoy the art itself.
Learning to dance & dancing socially comes along with many lessons and learnings…
In any partner dancing its important to respond than simply react to the movement direction from the partner in the flow.
The cultivation of the ability of any dancers acknowledgement & appreciation of their dance partner or other dancers, differences in movement speed or artistry not merely as tolerable, brings on the required humility and grace in the dance.
This is in itself the essence of a rich and rewarding social dancing experience.
You are given an opportunity to travel to beautiful locales on work or pleasure ,in a country so far away from your own Everything is wonderful and picturesque…
Yet, you are traveling along with people/ or paired with a person of completely different interests.
What if….
If you are a morning person and they are late risers
If you like walking and they like to rest more.
If you like to explore museums and art scenes and they have no interest in anything art
If you want to experience new culture by meeting new people and connecting with them than simply trying out food .
What if you want quick bites on the go and they like fancy dining experiences.
What if you want to start early and you are exasperated as they prefer late afternoon after a lazy lunch…
What if you are up and ready to go and they take a really long time to get ready 🤔
You like to capture experiences and rejoice in the memories and they have no particular interest in photography.
When you like to have a conversation freely and they are too busy or too silent, you often realise its better to remain silent unless spoken to even if there is company.
What would you do …
You make things right for you!
Let’s see, it’s not all that bad You are in a new location….
You realise its better to have some company than traveling alone in some places at least. You begin to appreciate the environment and yourself in it. You appreciate others who are around. You pay extra interest in people and places, the quirkiest, even the strangest and most peculiar things as much as the ordinary seem to matter somehow. You try to find happiness in whatever you see. You adapt to things as it comes. You accept everything, as your life’s myriad moments. You remember to focus on the positives acknowledge the good in them and move on…
Decision is often the difference between greatness and mediocrity. In every man’s life there comes a time when he must search for a cause, a work, an ideal to which he can give himself. Whether he says ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the challenge will determine his future.”
Another inspiring story translation from tamil forward by my mother Anjana.
A gardener one day saw a bird’s nest in his garden. Out of curiosity he peeped inside and saw a few eggs laid inside it. Next day he was happy to see small tiny cracks on the eggshells. He realised th eggs are getting ready to hatch . His curiosity increased. For the he next few days , every day he will see the how the eggs are and happy to see the cracks getting bigger. His expectations kept on increasing. One day he saw the eggs moving and the little tiny birds were struggling inside to break open the wall and come out of their confined space . He felt sad for the birds as they have to struggle so much. He wanted to help them . So he softly made the cracks big enough to make their work easy. The next morning he went with lot of expectations to see the little birds out of the eggs without struggle. He was disappointed to see there was no change. It was same as he had kept the day before. For the next couple of days it went on. The eggs remained the same . There was no movement. Then one day he was shocked to see lot of ants all over the eggs and found all the tiny birds dead inside. His heart ached to see this . He was very sad. His friend who saw him asked the reason. When he told what had happened , his friend told, ” You are the reason for their death. Out of your love n expectation you killed them. “
“Me ? How?” “Yes , only you are responsible. When the little birds are ready to come out , their little wings and legs will move slowly giving it strength. It will break open the shell with the help of its beak n body. It is a natural process . If you had left it their way by now all the little ones must have come out and flew from their nest in a few days. A normal delivery would have happened. The gardener was shattered when he realised his folly. As parents we are doing the same to our children. We protect them with so much care and precautions to safe guard them from any pain or suffering. We fail to make them know the value of sweat, the worth of labour and the struggling path to success. We want to give them all ready in a platter. Our mentality is’ I’ve suffered a lot. My children should not’. We forget that our overprotective love will make them weak and some day when they face life with its realities , they will suffer. Let us make them walk the path and watch them grow as individuals with inner strength. When needed be there to guide. How long can they walk catching your fingers. Let them walk alone. Let them fall and learn to rise on their own. Let them make their own path . Watch them from a distance. Applaud them. This is not a bird’s story. It is a life lesson for our children.
Savvy Raj 