This document outlines 7 steps to becoming more compassionate: 1) Show gratitude for life's good things, 2) Practice empathy for what others are going through, 3) Recognize commonalities between yourself and others, 4) Want to relieve the suffering of others as you would for yourself, 5) Practice acts of kindness, 6) Practice kindness even to those who mistreat you, and 7) Reflect on interactions and how to improve showing compassion. The goal is to develop empathy and the desire to relieve suffering in others.

1. Compassion
March 2016 Character Education Lesson #2

2. DRSL’s
 What: Showing Compassion
 Why: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Lifelong Learning, Responsible Citizen

3. Show compassion

4. 7 steps to becoming more
compassionate…
 1. Show gratitude for the good things of life. The Dalai Lama suggested, “Today I
am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious life and I’m not going
to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to achieve
enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.”

5. 7 steps to becoming more
compassionate…
 2. Practice Empathy: Many times we are centered on ourselves and we let our sense
of empathy get rusty. Be mindful of others around you and what they are going
through.
 3. Commonalities Practice: Instead of recognizing the differences between yourself
and others, try to recognize what you have in common. We are all human beings.
We are all trying to figure life out and find happiness.

6. 7 steps to becoming more
compassionate…
 4. Relief of suffering practice: Once you can empathize with another, and
understand one’s suffering, the next step is to want that person to be free from
suffering. This is the heart of compassion.
 Imagine you are the one suffering from another person’s life issues. Reflect on how
that would feel and the suffering you would be going through. Think about how
much you would want that suffering to end. That’s the feeling you want to develop
for others.
 5. Practice Acts of Kindness: Practice doing something kind for others. It can be as
small as holding the door open, saying hello, smiling or as big as you want it to be!
Random acts of kindness is ALWAYS IN STYLE!

7. 7 steps to becoming more
compassionate…
 6. Practice kindness to those who mistreat you: If someone is unkind to you or
mistreats you, instead of reacting in anger, withdraw. Give that person a “get out of
jail free” pass. Consider that they are having a bad day or a bad week. Try to
understand that their action was not about you, but about something that they are
going through.
 Do this in small doses… it can be extremely difficult, but with practice you can get
better at it!
 7. Reflecting: After an experience of interacting with others, its great to reflect on
how things went. Did it go well? Did it turn out like you wanted? Is there anything
you could have done better?

8. Show compassion