Leaning into difference with compassion and gratitude.

April 21, 2019

Over the past few weeks I have been partied to conversations around difference. Specifically tensions between people who aren’t aware of their impact on others and those who seek difference over similarity.

Firstly leadership begins with self-leadership; our ability to understand our impact on others, to be grounded and in-control of our emotions, and to be self-compassionate.

Clinical Psychologist and Co-founder of Roche Martin, Martyn Newman states;

When your mind is peaceful your mood lifts, you take in information effectively and your mind becomes agile and creative. A consistently positive mood also enables you to foster positive feelings in the people whose cooperation and support you need – the perfect recipe for career success.

I get it, we all get stressed at times, but if we are able to lean-into this with a lens of compassion and gratitude, we can shift the energy within and around us. How might we do this?

“Practicing kindness, compassion and other virtues lifts your stocks of emotional capital” says Newman.

Start with self-compassion and gratitude. Take time to look for the positive things within and around you; the autumnal colours, that first sip of coffee in the morning or a smile from a stranger.

When we begin to change our own vibration, we ‘attract’ a different energy from those around us.

Where attention goes, energy flows.

Compassion and gratitude starts with ourself.

Secondly, the opposite of ‘difference’ is ‘similarity’.
Having grown up immersed in a predominately Māori community, I learned that seeking connection is a vital part of being with others. When we ask:

“Where are you from?”,

“Nō hea koe?”

we are looking for a connection. We are peeling back the layers of our-selves to find a common thread. Once found (and believe me, they always are!), our connections then branch out like connecting neurons, until we realise we have much in common. So rather than seeking difference, let’s lean-into finding common-ground.

So as we step forward into this week, let’s seek gratitude and compassion.

Arohanui
Mary-Anne 🙂

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