Being Compassionate

A Series: Who Do You Want to Be in 2026?

When we talk about “Who We Want to Be in 2026”, the next aspect I think about is being compassionate. This makes me think about the dichotomy that has been created Ain our culture between men and women (of course this is a generalization but one that I have witnessed in multiple spaces). Where men have generally not been taught the skills to be compassionate at all, so as not to look weak, women have been taught to do so only with others (I also believe this is something that culture is slowly addressing). It is therefore easy to see that when nobody has really been taught to be compassionate to themselves that we inevitably run into issues both within ourselves but also within the dynamic of relationships.

What is being compassionate about? It reminds me of the difference between sympathy and empathy. Having sympathy gives us the feeling of sorrow for someone, where empathy is about sharing sorrow with someone. Compassion is not about staying on the outside looking in, it is about joining the person on the inside looking out. Whether it is with us or others, compassion allows us to hold space for and be intentional about seeking to understand what is happening within a person and therefore also why they are having that experience.

Compassion for others says, “I may not have had the same experience as them, but I can join them in their experience because they are human and have value.” Compassion for us says, “I may or may not have had a choice in what happened/ is happening but I can choose to find grace for myself as I move through this”.

As is the case with any of the “being” words we have been or will be talking about, it is often difficult if not impossible to “be” something towards others when we don’t know what it looks like towards ourselves. As stated earlier, we can see that because very few adults have been taught the necessity of compassion towards themselves, we see little compassion demonstrated to others.

A lack of compassion denies our humanity and creates a lack of shared value. When we do not value ourselves or others, it is impossible to see long-lasting positive outcomes. By being compassionate with ourselves we are watering the seed that will allow us to bear the fruit of compassion with others. Compassion allows us to embrace humanity in a way that gives us hope and allows us all to move forward with dignity and love.

If you want to experience more hope and love by being more compassionate towards yourself and others, you can schedule a free consult with me today here: https://calendly.com/katiepat48-1/30min!