Sometimes if I’ve had a crap day I think, “Well, at least I’m not having to live in a natural disaster area or war zone.” Or if I’m worried about cash flow, I’ll think, “Well, at least I’m not taking beer cans back to the store… to get a refund… in order to make bus fare… to get to work… to get my pay check.” (Like I used to.) And sometimes, when my heart is stressed I’ll think, “Better to have lost in love than…”
Sometimes, comparing your pain to others’ is an act of consciousness and compassion. It’s part of inclusive thinking. And it can also be an empowering way to practice gratitude.
But sometimes… comparing our pain to other people’s is a big distraction from our own feelings and the truth of the situation.
It’s the opposite of self-compassion and it’s most definitely some shallow positivity.
Denying your personal pain won’t lessen other people’s suffering. And weighing your woes and emotional strife on a global scale doesn’t necessarily make you a more responsible citizen.
Honour your pain, get real about the hassles—it might be some petty stuff or it could be soul-tragic. It’s your experience. Have it. That kind of self awareness serves us all. @DanielleLaPorte (Click to Tweet!)
All love,
Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path—from one seeker to another. The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries.
Named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes, millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for kickass spirituality.” A speaker, a poet, a painter, and a former business strategist and Washington-DC think tank exec, Entrepreneur Magazine calls Danielle, “equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass…edgy, contrarian…loving and inspired.” Her charities of choice are Eve Ensler’s VDay: a global movement to end violence against women and girls, and charity: water, setting out to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her favourite philosopher, her son. You can find her @daniellelaporte and just about everywhere on social media.
