Take time for simple acts of kindness--a smile, holding a door, a kind word. Mother Teresa said, "To children, to the poor, to all who suffer and are lonely, give always a happy smile. Give them not only your care, but also your heart." [The Joy of Loving, p. 302]
Discover the joy of sharing with others. Here is one of Mother Teresa's formulas: "One day a lady came to me dressed in a very rich sari. She told me, 'Mother I want to share in your work.' . . . I told her, 'I would begin with the sari. You start buying a cheaper sari each month, and the money you save, you bring it to me for the poor.' So she started buying cheaper saris and she said it changed her life. She has really understood sharing. And she told me that she has received much more than she has given."
Take care of a pet or other animal
Get involved in community service--give of yourself
Make a chart with three lists. a) What does compassion look like? [behaviors] b) What does compassion sound like? [words] c)What does compassion feel like? [emotions]
Listen with a loving heart to someone who is suffering or in pain
Be compassionate with yourself. Take time for reflection, solitude, stillness, prayer, meditation
Resolve to root out criticism and negative judgements--plagues that shut others out
Seek out the companionship of compassionate people. Attitudes are contagious.
"Oh heart, sit with someone who knows the heart; go under the tree which has fresh blossoms." Rumi