SPECIAL ISSUE #45 🔌
SUPERPOWERS
It is Christmas and the year is coming to a close. I do hope you all get to spend it surrounded by loved ones. Admittedly, I am overwhelmed how quickly this year went by and how much has happened. I always rolled my eyes at people when they claimed that the older you become the faster time passes. I apologise to all of them as they were right. Perhaps it is because at a certain point more years lie behind us than ahead of us. And in the spirit of Christmas, which I truly love, I want to share with you some more joyful and uplifting thoughts today.
I am sure all of us have at some point watched films featuring super heroes or at least with people having amazing abilities or some kind of superpowers. Perhaps we even envied the characters for their powers and wishing we had one or the other.
I truly believe that there are traits that give us all superpowers - we just sometimes forget they are there or how to use them.
On my list of the attributes that give us superpowers is EMPATHY. Empathy is the ability to recognise, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of other beings. Developing empathy is helpful for establishing any kind of relationship. Empathy also helps us interact and cooperate with others, to build friendships, to make moral decisions, and to intervene when we see others being hurt.
“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself." — Mohsin Hamid
Another superpower we all have in us is COMPASSION. Now you could say that that is the same as empathy. The two may be similar and yet they differ.
This is how I understand compassion. Compassion is essentially the wish that beings do not suffer - from slight physical and emotional discomfort to agony and anguish - combined with feelings of sympathetic concern. Don’t get me wrong, compassion is not pity, agreement, or a waiver of your own needs and rights. You can have compassion for people who have wronged you while also insisting that they change their behaviour towards you. Compassion by itself can open your heart and nourish the people you care about. Compassion is something that works on others as well as on yourself!
It is true that empathy as well as compassion refer to a sympathetic response to someone else’s distress. But while empathy refers to an active sharing in the emotional experience of the other person, compassion adds to that emotional experience the desire to alleviate the person’s pain or distress.
“Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” — Albert Einstein
Almost needless to say KINDNESS is another great superpower - of course, closely related to empathy and compassion. Being kind to others shows that you care. An act of kindness shows generosity toward the needs of others. Just as important is being kind to yourself and your own needs.
“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” — Dalai Lama
One of the greatest superpowers is probably HUMANITY. Anyone that has not lost their humanity, that is capable of empathy, compassion, and kindness towards others has a superpower. Humanity means being generous in behaviour and in thought towards others - and as always - as well as to yourself.
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” — Mahatma Gandhi
And for me personally, it all boils down to the greatest superpower of all - and you may have guessed - LOVE! I believe that everyone that is capable of giving and receiving love, and still has the ability to hope, has all the superpowers they need to be a true hero!
“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” — Vincent Van Gogh
🎶My Song of the Day
Is this fantastic version of Beth Hart’s and Joe Bonamassa’s Chocolate Jesus!
For more good music, go to this Spotify playlist where you can find all the songs from the Change & Evolve Letters!
📚My Poem of the Day
Is one by T.O.W.
An Act Of Kindness
When you are in need and fear To lose it all at the blink of an eye The unexpected is suddenly here And all you can really do is cry. An act of kindness so unexpected Sometimes is the lifeline you need, One that for so long has been neglected Shows you are worthy of a good deed. It moves you to tears and you can take a breath Freely for the first time in months and mend You sometimes felt far from life and closer to death When you realise you always had an unexpected friend.
👀Impressions
This years Christmas tree…
If you would like to connect with me, find out more about the Enneagram and yourself, and how it can transform you and your life, I would be happy to take the time for a speed coaching call that you can reserve right here go to my website or simply hit reply and get in touch with me directly.
I rarely look into the statistics of my newsletter but I did today. I realised that I have readers and listeners from over 25 countries. Something I would have never dared to dream of when I started this letter. I am always overwhelmed by the encouragement, support, feedback, and with that the love you give me. I appreciate you being on this journey with me. Thank you for giving me so much! HAPPY CHRISTMAS 🎄
Yours
Tanja 🤗