Love more. Judge less.

Here are your 4 gifts for the week: 1 image, 1 quote, 1 idea, and 1 thing you might want to try.

We are living in a time of extreme change and high emotions, I know. My hope is that these notes help you see things a little differently, and feel a little better, whether in your business, or your life.

Here is your 11:11 for today.

ONE IMAGE

ONE QUOTE

The word 'listen' contains the same letters as the word 'silent'.
_{― Alfred Brendel (b. 1931) Austrian pianist, poet, lecturer}

ONE IDEA

There is a lot of noise out there, and I am astounded at the viciousness that I see and hear in the world. If I make the mistake of reading the comments on certain Facebook posts or, heaven forbid, a mainstream news article, I don't get far before I have to close it out.

When did it become okay to villainize each other in this way?

It's easy to judge someone without a name, a face, or a shared history. Just as we can so quickly judge the anonymous driver who just pulled out in front of us, we can just as quickly judge the anonymous (to us) reporter who published an article, or the anonymous (to us) man or woman who shared angry thoughts on line.

But that driver may be distracted with grief. That reporter may have triple checked her facts the best she could and still missed something. The author of that comment may be an abuse survivor who's never felt loved in his life.

The truth is we all have a story. There is a reason why people think, feel and do what they do.

We need to be careful with the stories we tell ourselves about each other.

If someone says something that you don't like, they're not stupid. They're just coming from a different place than you. And sometime they're coming from a very wounded place.

The more we can at least try to understand that about each other, the better things will be for all of us.

ONE THING to TRY

Whether you are one to jump into the fray or one to sit back and silently shake your head, try to be aware of your own words and thoughts this week.

If you find yourself feeling triggered, take a step back. Notice your own breath. Notice the energy of your own thoughts. If you can, try to imagine what kind of life experiences could lead to what you're observing. Then let it go, and move on.

If you're so inclined, and the circumstances allow it, invite that person into dialogue with you. If you do, don't do that with the energy of convincing. Do that only with the energy of learning.

We need to listen more. Shout less.
Breathe more. Worry less.
Love more. Judge less.

At least as much as we are able....

Be well,