I was re-reading my journal, something I do fairly often lately, and I thought I would share some of it with you so you could get to know me better. I would love to get to know you better too... so feel free to respond.

I am Laura Jack.
I am a teacher, a guide, a coach, a writer, a mother, a friend, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a storyteller, a comedian, a lover of life. I am a speaker. I am a soul. A spirit. A love.

I am here to shift the world into a more kind and gentle place- where people care about one another, themselves, and the planet.

I am here to lead by example.
I am here to demonstrate my compassion and my humanness.

I am here to help people love their bodies, themselves, and each other.

I am here to shine and laugh, cry and celebrate.

Everyone wants to be seen, heard, and accepted exactly as they are.
That is my mission - giving everyone a safe space.

My gift is seeing people. Really feeling them. Helping inspire them, breaking down walls, opening mind and hearts.

I am here to impact women and families -- humans who want to shine and thrive -- who care deeply almost to their own detriment.

Be seen. Be heard. Get coached.
Change your life.

I would love to learn more about you!
If you resonate with my message, please reply or schedule a call with me.

Do you long to feel connection, inspiration, hope? Do you feel frustrated, scared and disappointed about the direction of our current world?

I talk to so many people who feel like the world is falling apart... that there is so much hate, wrong-doing, disconnection, etc. and have NO IDEA what to do.

Well, I have an answer... that you may or may not like.

Relationships are the glue of families, effective
and profitable working environments, governance,
and local and global economies.

ALL of those relationships start with YOU and how you treat yourself.

💗If you tend to be more patient, compassionate, and kind to others than you are to yourself, then you are likely on the path to burnout...

💗If you struggle, particularly in the most important relationships, to have a compassionate perspective rather than a judgmental one, then you are likely feeling disconnected.

💗If you struggle with setting boundaries, then you may be feeling misunderstood when you have them OR resentful when you don't.

So, what can we do in a hate-filled world? It starts with the one thing we can truly control: how we treat ourselves and the people closest to us. If we want to see more compassion, patience, and connection in the world, we must first practice those things within ourselves.

Start small:

• Offer yourself grace when things don’t go as planned. The world doesn’t need more people beating themselves up—it needs more people modeling self-love and resilience.

• Practice compassion in your relationships by choosing curiosity over judgment. When a loved one frustrates you, pause and ask, “What might they be feeling right now?”

• Set and honor boundaries without guilt. Boundaries aren’t walls; they’re bridges to healthier connections.

When we show up for ourselves with kindness, when we learn to lead our relationships with compassion, we start to create ripples of change. We become part of the solution. And while it might feel small in the face of such big problems, I promise you—it’s powerful.

Our world doesn’t just need less hate; it needs more love in action. And that begins with us. 💗

What’s one thing you can do today to nurture yourself or bring compassion into one of your relationships? Let’s start there and watch the ripples grow.

Even with all the holiday cheer, the holidays can be rough.

As we approach the end of the year, it is normal to reflect on all that has happened, good and bad. While there is so much to be grateful for, 2022 has been devastating for many. From mass shootings, to fires and floods, to loss of loved ones and divorces, it seems like tragedy is inescapable.

Of course we can always "count our blessings," and be "grateful for our health" (if we have it), AND yet, it is important to remember that...

 Silver linings don't help. 

Even when my mom died suddenly in 2008, I was the first person to tell you the 10 reasons why it was okay. Here were a few, “At least she was doing something she loved when she died; At least she was happy; At least she didn’t suffer; At least she spoke to my dad, brother and grandmother before she was killed; At least she knew I loved her.”

If you notice the one thing that all of these justifications has in common is the word at least.  Throughout my work with grief and compassionate communication, I have discovered with the word "at least" and all of these positive statements is that they are intellectually true, but emotionally they don’t make any sense.  The truth is that my mom’s death was the absolute worst thing that ever happened in my entire life, and by justifying why it was fine, I was diminishing my own feelings.

When we say the word at least we are taking away from the importance of what actually happened.  When someone goes through a breakup, you might hear someone say, “At least you weren’t married.”  Does that really make the breakup any easier? What about a divorce that happens pre-children? “At least you didn’t have any kids together.”  At the Grief Recovery Institute we talk about the loss of hopes, dreams and expectations and those feelings are just as real as any other loss.

This holiday season (and from here forward), I hope you will set the intention to let go of the at least. As much as we are trying to help by offering these positive statements or silver linings to hard situations, they aren't helpful. The truth is that sometimes we feel bad, and we don’t need to fix it.

So what should we do instead?

Acknowledge, validate and listen.

Instead of saying, “at least they're in a better place” we can say “I can’t imagine how that has been for you."

My challenge to you is to acknowledge and accept other people’s feelings and leave the at least out of it.

Feelings are normal and natural... in fact, they are biological. While we would all love to be happy all the time, that isn't normal either. We don't need to fix others or ourselves when we are feeling down.

We have to be present to the feelings, recognize them as natural, not beat ourselves up... and guess what? They usually pass more easily. 

Father's Day is just around the corner and like all holidays, can come with some baggage.
Like Christmas, Valentine's Day, or its close relative, Mother's Day, Father's Day can bring up unresolved grief.

Whether your father is living or dead, available or unavailable, distant or over-bearing, there are always things we wish were different, better, or more. Perhaps your relationship with your dad isn’t what you hoped or dreamed it would be, your dad wasn't around when you were growing up, your parents divorced, you wish you could see him more often, or perhaps you’ve never even met your biological father, etc. Since family can be complicated, it is important to remember Father's Day can be too.

This also includes what it means to be a father. Father's Day can also brings up feelings for men who wanted to be fathers but aren't, who were fathers but who lost their children, or for fathers whose children are no longer in their lives.

Whether this day is a celebration or challenge, be compassionate with yourself and others, as everyone has a story and no relationship is perfect.

Below are helpful reminders as you embark on Father's Day weekend!

1. If you have or know a great father, thank them!

2. It is normal to have feelings of sadness, longing, or just wishing things were different, better, or more.

3. Give yourself permission to feel however you feel.

4. Whatever your story is, please know that you are not alone. If you have the best dad or the worst dad; if your dad died or you sometimes think that would make it easier; if your relationship with your dad is complicated and healing, or simple and growing; please remember that there is nothing wrong with you.

5. You may look around this weekend or see a whole bunch of social posts with a whole bunch of people looking happy and celebrating their father, and you may even be one of them. Just know that underneath the surface, everyone has a story, no one is perfect, and we are all just trying to figure it out.

6. If your dad has died and you miss him, this may be a special opportunity to spend time doing things you loved doing with him. You can also consider doing something that he loved. I encourage you to set aside time to honor him in whatever way feels good to you.

7. If you have a less than loving relationship with your dad, living or dead, this may be a good opportunity to be kind to yourself. Perhaps do something for yourself that you wish your dad would have done with you or for you.

I hope that reading this message allows you to find peace this Father's Day. To all the Father's out there, good and bad, who gave us life-- thank you.

For more support around grief and relating to one another more kindly through the challenges of life, subscribe to our newsletter and download the Compassion Code Starter Guide here.

Mother's Day, like all holidays, can bring a mixture of emotions. While we all technically have a mother, what happens after birth varies greatly.I had no idea how challenging Mother's Day could be until my mom died because most of my life it was just a day where our family did something nice for our mom.

Since her death and after working with many men and women who have complicated and non-existent relationships with their mothers, I realize how much emotion this holiday can bring.As we say in Grief Recovery, unresolved grief comes from the things we wish were "different, better, or more... or a loss of hopes, dreams, and expectations.

"Whether your mother is living or dead, available or unavailable, distant or over-bearing, there are always things we wish were different, better, or more. For example, I wish that my mom hadn't died so young. I wish that my mom were here to be a grandmother. I wish my mom could be here to witness her babies being parents. I wish I could tell her I love her one more time. I wish I could tell her how much more I appreciate her now that I am a mom.

The other piece of this is around motherhood. Mother's Day also brings up feelings for women who want or wanted to be mothers but could not, ​who were mothers but who lost their children, or for mothers whose children are no longer in their lives.

Relationships are complicated, particularly with the women who bring us into this world and/or raise us.If you know a mother, yours or someone else's, who you think is doing a great job, let them know. If you are a mother, be kind to yourself, as it seems to be the hardest job in the world.

Whether this day is a celebration or a challenge, be compassionate to yourself and others, as everyone has a story and no relationship is perfect. 

What do you wish were different, better, or more with your mom?

What hopes, dreams and expectations did you or do you have that haven't or won't ever be met?

If you want to explore these feelings visit www.laurajack.com or get my free Compassion Code Starter Guide here to learn more about how to say the right thing when the wrong thing happens.

It may seem strange to hear and it is even a bit strange to say, but I have this deep knowing that my mom's death was a gift to me.

While her death was the most heart-breaking experience of my life, as I reflect back over the last 13 years.... I feel a deep sense of gratitude.

Because I love my life now... it is easier for me to have gratitude for the painful experiences I now see as wisdom markers.

My mom's sudden and tragic death awakened me to the fragile and precious nature of life. It woke me up to living on purpose and fully present.

As I do work to help others heal, grow and transform their pain into purpose through self-compassion, I feel like her death was not in vain -- but rather the birth of my purpose and her legacy.

She was extraordinary in her life as a mom, wife, friend, sister and daughter, but who she continues to be in her death goes beyond titles or roles...

Her death was one of her greatest gifts and sacrifices... an act of service... because now, those of us who love and loved her get to continue sharing the gifts of her life.

Now, through years of healing, growth, transformation and education, here are some of the gifts I get to share from her death.

I GET to serve others whose hearts were broken OPEN by loss, but who have decided that they want to thrive and live a life on purpose in service to others.

I wrote The Compassion Code, How to say the right thing when the wrong thing happens. Without my own heart-ache, the reactions of others, and then years of helping grievers, I would not have been able to write that book because before she died... I had NO IDEA.

I wouldn't have built The Compassion Code Academy to help healers and heart-centered professionals with communication and leadership skills rooted in the value of self-compassion first through the lens of grief.

And I definitely wouldn't be training Compassion Coaches through our Compassion Coach Training (more on this later).

What are some of the gifts of your grief?

If you don't know yet, it may be time to embark on your own healing journey. If you are still sitting in the pain of your loss, and you aren't ready yet...that's OKAY.

And, when you are ready to leave the cocoon and transform into a butterfly, my team and I are here.

If you are ready to embark on that journey, the first step is to watch my free training: 4 Shifts to Move Beyond The Pain of Loss So You Can Rediscover Meaning, Purpose, and Growth In Your Life  the cliff’s notes of everything I have learned in the last decade + 

"In my own worst seasons I've come back from the colorless world of despair by forcing myself to look hard, for a long time, at a single glorious thing: a flame of red geranium outside my bedroom window. And then another: my daughter in a yellow dress. And another: the perfect outline of a full, dark sphere behind the crescent moon. Until I learned to be in love with my life again. Like a stroke victim retraining new parts of the brain to grasp lost skills, I have taught myself joy, over and over again." -Barbara Kingsolver, b. 1955

When I read this quote it felt so familiar to me. It reminded me of a time when I was unsure if I would ever feel like "me" again. I was worried that I would never smile... never laugh ... that I would never give a compliment again because I felt empty... that I would never love life again. It felt so permanent. While I was able to go through the motions, get by day to day, I was but a shadow of my former self.

Have you ever felt this way?

For me, it was the sudden, tragic death of my mom that took the wind out of my sails (but grief can really be from any loss or life transition).

And like all great stories, after a period of deep grief, I had a decision to make. Would I let my mom's death be the end of me and my light OR would I CHOOSE LIFE?

I was determined to do whatever it took for me to find joy again. I took my healing and recovery very seriously... like my life depended on it -- because it did.

Rediscovering my light again took me 7 years of continuous investment in support, guidance, training, coaching, education, and mentorship.

Like I said, I was determined, and I was not willing to let anything stand in my way. I remember saying, If I am part of my mom's legacy (and I am gonna be here on Earth) I WILL MAKE IT COUNT.

And I have.

And you can too! I don't want it to take as long for you and I want to share what I learned. I would be honored to show you the way.

If you just got here, I hope I can be a reminder to you that thriving in your life after loss is possible.

As my mentor Russell Friedman said, "You are not broken, you are broken-hearted."
And the good new is, broken hearts can heal with the right support, guidance, love, and action.

If you want to live like you mean it, rediscover who you want to be in this next chapter of your life, and even CHOOSE thriving rather than just surviving, I want to invite you to watch my FREE training : 4 Shifts to Move Beyond the Pain and Rediscover Meaning, Purpose, and Growth in Your Life. It is basically an accumulation of 14 years of knowledge and experience summed up in one FREE 40 minute training.

Not only have I rediscovered my light after loss, I have literally helped over 1000 grievers and trained nearly 1000 grief professionals. Just so you know, loving life after loss does NOT mean you’ll never be sad again. It means that you are able to embrace all of your emotions and find your way back to center whenever you want.

If you are wondering what it takes, all you need in order to heal is to DECIDE that NOW is your time and that you are willing to dedicate yourself to your healing.

Is there something holding you back from being your best, highest self? Having the greatest impact? Making the most money?

Does it feel like you are close, but something is getting in the way of you stepping up as the greatest iteration of yourself? Do you long to be a thought leader, a voice of healing, a guide and helper to many?

Do you wish you knew what was getting in the way of you and your success?

Maybe there are other people in your industry who are not as skilled, but they are having more tangible success, and you are left wondering is MORE possible? Will I be stuck here? What are my obstacles?

What is keeping me from being the success story that I know deep down I am?
This was my story.

I was always really grateful, and I could always justify why what I had was enough, more than enough. I even shoulded myself, "Laura, you SHOULD feel grateful."

What I was denying myself was MORE impact. More connection. More love. More visibility. More money.

All the other stuff --- just symptoms.
Symptoms of doubt around my own enoughness and worthiness.

It all started with acknowledging and healing the deep emotional wounds from my early years.
Did you know that 70% of our beliefs are formed by the time we are 5 years old?
So if we want our inner child to stop driving the car of our life -- we have to make new choices.

We have to be able to look back at the past with deep respect and acknowledgement that our pain, challenges, heartaches, rejections, disappointments were all just wisdom markers on our journey of life.

These wisdom markers are what allow us to help others... they are what help us grow wiser not just older.

Knowledge plus experience and the willingness to grow through our feelings is wisdom.
Wisdom is what gives us the ability to support others. It is what gives us the ability to create a more beautiful world.

However, "wisdom" can also be seen as suffering.
Suffering that has been processed as grief is what leads to wisdom.

However, suffering unprocessed is misery.

Rising above pain and heartache to live a life of joy and service is a CHOICE that we get to make EACH Day. For me, being a coach and an entrepreneur with a mission is a journey with a VOW to continuous development on a soul level.
NO AVOIDING.
It can hurt. It can be hard. It is not for the faint of heart.

However, the gift is the greatest EXPANSION of the human experience.
It is like dancing with angels in the stars.

This vow to continuous growth is the opposite of empty.
It is pure presence.
And it is YOURS if you choose to say yes.

It will not be easy, but it is worth it.

Do you want to dance with joy?
Live at a vibration so high that even pain and heartache are seen as wisdom.

It hurts AND you give thanks for the wisdom markers, the growth.

Thank each soul for the lessons they teach you.
Thank your soul family for reminding you what it feels like breathe easily, freely and completely.

The ones who hurt you are also part of your team. They teach you where you can still grow.

Your time here on Earth is purely to grow.

Do you want to play the game of growth or suffering?

Or better yet, GROWTH THROUGH SUFFERING.

Sometimes, you tap into the memory of your highest self -- your connection to something greater... and then back to being human.

Both are valuable.

Let's elevate the consciousness of the planet. Let's grow together.

Let me be your guide.
I will take your hand-- blow off the dust of societal programming and help you REMEMBER your essence... STEP INTO YOUR GREATNESS.

Your loss was your AWAKENING. Let's not let it be in vain.

Let's elevate. We need you.

Loving life is possible. Having an impact is possible. Sharing your gifts with the world is possible. It is all yours.

It starts with saying yes to yourself.

If you are ready to say yes to living your authentic truth and then sharing your love, compassion, and gifts with the world:

1. Watch our free training HERE: Compassionate Communication 101 to gain a deeper understanding of why compassion must start with you.

2. Watch our free training HERE: 4 Shifts for Moving Beyond the Pain of Loss So You Can Rediscover Meaning, Purpose, and Growth in Your Life

3. Get my book HERE: The Compassion Code: How to say the right thing when the wrong thing happens.

4. Join our free community HERE: Living The Compassion Code

Do you get to Friday and just want to check out?  Do you wish you knew how to feel refreshed even when you are feeling so depleted? Have you gotten complacent, but you really want to feel excited?

If you consider yourself a compassionate, heart-center person who tends to be low on the priority list when it come to what YOU need and want, I want to let you know that you aren't alone.

And the good news is that I have the answer for you.... but you may not like it. 

The truth is that the fastest path to burnout, depletion and disconnection comes from over-giving to others while being stingy and mean to yourself.

The solution to your burnout, disconnection and depletion is... 
Drum roll please... FIERCE SELF-COMPASSION.
 
Fierce compassion means you are as kind, gentle, and generous with yourself as you are to others.
It means finding the balance between firm and kind.
It means loving boundaries for yourself so that you can give from full.

The key to longevity and joy as a heart-centered leader is fierce compassion that starts with you.

As one of my amazing heart-centered clients said, "A better ministry starts with a better me."
And in my opinion that is true in any compassionate leadership role. 

If you are realizing that you are a heart-centered person who is depleted on the road to burnout (or already there) and you want to know how to begin to have FIERCE COMPASSION for yourself watch our free training HERE— Compassionate Communication 101: 5 Shifts Heart-Centered Leaders Use to Overcome Compassion Fatigue, Reignite Their Purpose, and Serve at Their Highest Level.

To being fiercely compassionate starting with yourself,

Laura Jack

Where are you on the Bell Curve? It can differ personally vs professionally. Learn more in my book: The Compassion Code.

Sometimes it feels like the world is falling apart… and then total strangers let you bathe your kids at their house. 

The thing about crisis is that it brings out both the best and the worst in people.

As you probably saw, Austin and much of central Texas were hit hard this past week. The snow and ice, sustained sub-freezing temperatures, power outages, food shortages, burst pipes, boil notice, not to mention all of this on top of an already unprecedented time with COVID… really pushed many to a breaking point. 

My heart goes out to all who are suffering. While I recognize that there is always a crisis somewhere at any given time, if this one feels dear to your heart, and you want to know how to contribute, this Instagram post offers many opportunities to help.  

Now that the weather has warmed, our power has returned, and we are back in our home, I wanted to share some of the lessons I have learned in the last 10 very intense days. 

1. You can’t give what you don’t have. When we are in survival mode, our ability to give is highly impaired. In life, as in crisis, it is imperative to fill ourselves up first so that we have more to give to others.

2. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. So many people reached out to check in on us this past week, and we felt soooo loved. Those who were able to give us shelter, water, and companionship… were truly a lifeline. Strangers became friends. Friends became family.

3. Feelings can and do co-exist. It is okay and normal to feel frustrated, scared, overwhelmed, uncertain, angry, or sad. This doesn’t mean you can’t also feel grateful, humbled, relieved, hopeful, safe, or loving.

4. Consider your reason for comparing. Comparing can sound like “I shouldn’t feel bad because someone else has it worse…” This sentiment typically isn’t helpful, as it diminishes your experience. Your suffering doesn’t have to take anything away from someone else’s suffering. However, if you are comparing as an opportunity to feel grateful and have perspective, that can be helpful (as long as you aren’t saying it to the other person).

5. Yes AND is more helpful than yes BUT… (just try it).

6. Self-compassion is key. Relating kindly to yourself and giving yourself permission to have your experience without judgment, but rather with curiosity, is a primary ingredient to getting through crisis and life.   

7. Sometimes it takes extreme circumstances to remember who we really are. When the pipes burst in the house where we were staying with our friends/neighbors, I was able to dig deep and manage the situation with the adventurous spirit of my early 20’s. I thought to myself, “I’m still in there.”

8. Surviving is good enough until it isn’t. Once you are out of survival mode, then and only then, do you have an opportunity to choose thriving. Thriving doesn’t mean you won’t feel the full range of feelings, it means that when desired you can find your way back to center. 

What are some of the lessons you've learned from a challenge you faced (this week or literally at any point in the last year)?  

And, if you are still in a tough spot, it’s okay to not know what your lessons are yet. Be gentle with yourself in the meantime.

As Marianne Williamson may have said, “Teach from the resurrection, not from the crucifixion.”

To growth through suffering,

Laura Jack

If you need a little support to turn pain into purpose, feel free to watch my free training here.

As I reflect on the 13 years since my mom died, I realize that as I connect more and more deeply to who I am at a soul-level, the more I realize that my mom is with me.

Yesterday was the anniversary of her death; a day of honor and remembrance, a day where I take time to have gratitude for all she taught me in life… and the many more lessons she continues teaching me in death.

As I reflected about what I would say to her… I realized that her response would be but an echo of my own thoughts and feelings.

Thank you... and she would say, "thank you."

I love you... and she would say, "I love you."

I miss you... and she would say, "I miss you."

Some of the greatest gifts and lessons I have received these 13 years are:

• The gift of listening inward and trusting my intuition, as I can no longer rely on my mom as my sounding board... so I became my own high council.

• The willingness and ability to let my emotions pass through me rather than suppressing them or pretending I am fine. Then recognizing how much more free I am without those stuck emotions.

• The best job for my mind when it comes to my grief is to be but a witnesses. It acknowledges and validates my experience and my humanity with compassion but without making me bad or wrong.

• The pride I had in my mom comes from many of the values we share. We value family, service, justice, education, kindness, humor, generosity, and love. I know like an echo that she would say, "I am proud of you" just as I am so proud of her and the legacy she has left.

• The mixture of feelings I have is inevitable and can be especially grand during birthdays, anniversaries and other momentous times. And while it can feel scary when I feel them coming -- when I allow them, invite them, and let them wash over me, it can be cleansing and freeing rather than murky and stifling.

Yesterday, as I honored the death of my mother, I found myself grateful for her and for my response to her death. 

Grief is what makes us human, and how we respond is what determines the quality of our lives.

I am grateful for the courage I have had:

To face the feelings, all of them, even the hard ones. 

To sit in the shadows of my mind, heart and soul.  

To rebuild myself from the ashes that I crumbled into after her death.

I wish I could help every broken heart heal, and I wish I could walk beside every grieving daughter, mother, sister, husband, friend... so they too would know that they are not alone.

Grief is one of the most painful and yet potentially transformational experiences in life. One that most of us would never wish for, but when forced upon us, we have the opportunity to choose growth through suffering as I have.

Thank you for honoring my truth, my journey, my love for my mother ...

And may you be inspired to embark on your own journey from surviving to thriving... feeling hopeful that it is possible.

If you or someone you love is hurting from a broken heart, and you want to choose GROWTH but don't know how, please watch and share my most recent training: 4 Shifts to Move Beyond the Pain of Loss and Rediscover Meaning, Purpose, and Growth in Your Life. 

It is an accumulation of all I have learned and experienced over the last 13 years, boiled down into 40 minutes of education, inspiration, and practical application. 

If you aren't already, join us in Living The Compassion Code, our free Facebook community to build connections during an isolated time.

To the opportunity for choice and the inevitability of transformation.

Do you ever feel guilty that you don't feel chipper and cheerful this time of year? Perhaps you think to yourself, "I have so much to be grateful for, so why do I feel ______ (fill in the blank with literally any other feeling)?"

I just want you to know that no matter how much personal growth you have done or how good you feel in your life, the holidays can be trying, tense, and emotional. I tell you this not to try to fix the pain or tension, but rather to remind you that you are normal. 

Why are the holidays challenging?

Being out of routine in different environments with family (or not), having holiday traditions that are/aren't happening, or missing a loved one who lost, can all bring awareness to how life has changed, how you have changed, and a whole lot of feelings.

Perhaps there is a loss of hopes, dreams, and expectations or there are things you hoped would be different, better or more.

Guess what? You are GRIEVING.  

At the Grief Recovery Institute, grief is defined as "the conflicting feelings that come at the end of or change in a familiar pattern of behavior." 

This year has been the epitome of GRIEF, and generally speaking, we (as a society) have not been taught how to deal with these feelings in a healthy way.

Whether you realize it or not, most of us do a whole lot of, "what's wrong with me?" "Why am I not ________... " that you thought you "should" be at this point.  "If only I had...."

These are just a few of the self critical, internal judgments that so many people have going on inside (particularly during this transitional time). 

So what do we do about it? 

In order to have more peace and ease in this time of reflection, transition, and possibly tension, we must shift from self-judgment to self-compassion (relating kindly to yourself during the trying times of life).

The way to do this is with curiosity. Curiosity sounds like:

"Hmmm... I wonder why this is bothering me so much."

"Hmmm... I wonder what I am learning from the choices I have made?"

"Hmmm... I wonder if it is time to make new choices?

Being compassionate and curious also comes more easily when we give ourselves permission to have feelings. In other words not making feelings of sadness, frustration, disappointment, overwhelm, confusion, heartache, joy, or any other feeling bad or wrong.

If we allow ourselves to feel our feelings we can move through them more easily. 

*Hint: Having a compassionate listener who does not try to fix how you are feeling is helpful! All they have to say is "That makes sense." 

I have a challenge for you (if you choose to accept): As you embark on the year ahead, instead of judging yourself for who you have or haven't been or what you have or haven't done, what if you say, "I have learned a lot about myself this past year, and here is who I am being and what I am doing or choosing moving forward."

And remember, every day, every moment (not just the end of the year) is an opportunity to start again.

Alright! Wishing you a healthy and safe holiday season. Please know that I am a resource for you. 

If you need support to move from Isolation to Connection this season, register for my free training here.

If you aren't already, join us in Living The Compassion Code, our free Facebook community to build connections during an isolated time.