20 Morning Mantras To Start The Day Loving People
SINCE WE ALL intellectually understand that we shouldn't bypass or judge people too quickly, but sometimes still forget when we're in the heat of a pressing moment, we recommend reading (and rereading) the following morning mantras to yourself at least a couple times a week:
1. The most beautiful thing is to see a person nearby smiling. And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it.
2. If you have the power to make someone happier today, do it. The world needs more of that.
3. Some people build lots of walls in their lives and not enough bridges. There's no good reason to be one of them. Open yourself up. Take small chances on people.
4. Never stop doing little things for those around you. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.
5. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of love- all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
6. Be present. Be thoughtful. Compliment people. Magnify their strengths, not their weaknesses. This is how to make a real and lasting difference in your relationships, new and old.
7. We don‟t always need advice. Sometimes all we need is a hand to hold, an ear to listen, and a heart to understand.
8. Today, just be 100 percent present with those around you—he all there. That is enough.
9. There‟s no such thing as “self-made.” Someone else believed in you. Someone else encouraged you. Someone else invested in you. Someone else prayed for you. Someone else spoke life over you. Be that someone for others too.
10. It‟s practically impossible to love our neighbours if we don‟t know them, and yet that‟s oftentimes the case. We live in such a hyper- connected world with such limited or nonexistent connection. Remember this: Relationships matter. Stories matter.
11. In human relationships, distance is not measured in miles but in affection. Two people can be right next to each other yet miles apart.
12. Stay in touch with those who truly matter to you—not because it's convenient, but because they‟re worth the extra effort.
13. The single greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. Too often we don‟t listen to understand, we listen to reply. Bring awareness to this. And listen for what‟s truly behind the words.
14. Set an example. Treat everyone with respect, even those who are rude to you— not because they are always nice, but because you are. (And do your best to be thankful for the rude and difficult people too; they serve as great reminders of how not to be.)
15. Sometimes it is better to be kind than to be right.
16. People are much nicer when they're happier, which says a lot about those who aren't very nice to you. Sad, but true.
17. The real test always comes when you don‟t get what you expect from people. Will you react in anger? Or will calmness be your superpower?
18. The way we treat people we don't understand is a report card on what we've learned about love, compassion, and kindness.
19. Be kinder than necessary. What goes around comes around. No one has ever made themselves strong by showing how small someone else is.
20. The best relationships are not just about the good times you share, they‟re also about the obstacles you go through together, and the fact that you still say "I love you” in the end.
Afterthoughts on "Loving” Offensive People
Some of the morning mantras above (such as numbers 14 through 19, for example) potentially require a willingness to cordially deal with people who yell at us, interrupt us, cut us off in traffic, talk about distasteful things, and so forth.
These people violate the way we think people should behave. And sometimes their behaviour deeply offends us. But if we let these people get to us again and again, we will be upset and offended far too often. So, what can we do?
There isn't a one-size-hts-all solution, but here are two strategies we often recommend to our course students:
• Be bigger, think bigger. Imagine a two-year-old who doesn't get what she wants at the moment. She throws a temper tantrum! This small, momentary problem is enormous in her little mind because she lacks perspective on the situation. But as adults, we know better. We realize that there are dozens of other things this two-year-old could do to be happier. Sure, that‟s easy for us to say—we have a bigger perspective, right? But when someone offends us, our bigger perspective suddenly shrinks again—this small, momentary offence seems enormous, and it makes us want to scream. We throw the equivalent of a two-year-old temper tantrum. However, if we think bigger, we can see that this small thing matters very little in the grand scheme of things. It's not worth our energy. So always remind yourself to be bigger, think bigger, and broaden your perspective.
• Mentally hug them and wish them better days. This little trick can positively change the way we see people who offend us. Let's say someone has just said something unpleasant to us. How dare they! Who do they think they are? They have no consideration for our feelings! But of course, with a heated reaction like this, we‟re not having any consideration for their feelings either—they may be suffering inside in unimaginable ways. By remembering this, we can try to show them empathy and realize that their behaviour is likely driven by some kind of inner pain. They are being unpleasant as a coping mechanism for their pain. And so, mentally, we can give them a hug. We can have compassion for this broken person, because we all have been broken and in pain at some point too. We‟re the same in many ways. Sometimes we need a hug, some extra compassion, and a little unexpected love.Try one of these strategies the next time someone offends you. And then smile in serenity, armed with the comforting knowledge that there‟s no reason to let someone else‟s behaviour turn you into someone you aren't.