Fill you cup!
Kiran Aidhi, ACC - ICF
Founder-CEO I Author I Paul Harris Fellow - Proud Rotarian I Coach I Facilitator I Ex-Chief People Officer I Top LinkedIn Voice on Executive Coaching and Thought Leadership I HR Transformation Expert I
It’s easier to be compassionate to loved ones but harder to be kind to yourself. You’d agree with me on this one. Here’s a dimension of compassion that often gets overlooked —self-compassion. Even as leaders, we focus on nurturing our teams but forget to fill our own cups.
Is being self-compassionate selfish?
Is carving out time for oneself an act of selfishness?
Quite the opposite. Because, as the saying goes: “You cannot pour from an empty cup.”
Even ancient battles ceased with the sunset, allowing soldiers to convalesce physically and mentally. The Mahabharata itself bears testament to this principle. Soldiers needed this respite to rejuvenate and prepare for another day of confrontation.
Self-compassion is about understanding and forgiving oneself, accepting our flaws and failures not as catastrophes but as integral parts of our experiences. Dr. Kristin Neff, a pioneer in self-compassion research, has demonstrated that individuals with higher self-compassion levels exhibit lower levels of anxiety and depression and are more resilient when faced with stress.
Self-compassion is not self-indulgence; it’s self-care.
It’s the acknowledgment that, like everyone else, you are not immune to suffering, to failures, to imperfections. It’s about embracing your humanity without judgment, and this practice is far from selfish.
When you are kind to yourself, you become a wellspring of compassion that can flow freely to those around you. Yes, prioritizing self-compassion better equips you to lead with empathy and support others on their journey.
?Even in airlines they say, "Before helping others, wear your oxygen mask first."
Please feel free to reach out to me for a heart warming conversation on guilt free self-care and self- compassion.
Have a self caring day and a week ahead!!!
Head Corporate Relations & MDP (Placements) at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Hyderabad
7 个月I agree with you Kiran. How can we love others or care for others when we cannot love or care for ourselves. I would like to add, we have been taught to forgive others but seldom have we heard someone telling us to forgive ourselves.
C - Suite Leadership Consultant- Help Leaders Raise , Effectiveness & Employability
7 个月Wonderful read , Kiran. This has been the misunderstanding for long and possibly a reason for distancing to take lead because in others perception it's seen as selfish. In professional experience I have had multiple conversations on this and simple route to decode such misunderstanding is to use dictionary and it revealed something which made my clients happy forever because it sorted out big-time dilemma. I fully agree to your perspective that self-care, self acceptance, self compassion and self forgiveness is the best gift one can offer to significant SELF. I guess this is one dimension of life, where lenses have to be cleaned and readjusted...for happier times
Founder & Director FM Globalnet
7 个月Well said Kiran
Head - Analytics Delivery & Solutions ( data, analytics, data science, data products - SaaS, product management, engagement management, consulting, global delivery, agile)
7 个月Good one. Thanks.
We vivify your business and people, experience us to gather distinctive perspectives. We believe in co-creation and sustenance for our clients. Work with a "zero" follow-up team.
7 个月It's a thought which makes most of us including me feel guilty, reading your article tells me otherwise. Would like to practice and explore more. Thanks for sharing Kiran Aidhi, ACC - ICF