Cups of Compassion
I’m on the hunt for compassion.
It’s not always easy to find, right?
It wouldn’t surprise anyone if I told you that many of us generally lack compassion. Compassionate behaviors all too often feel like the exception rather than the rule. And we know it’s true because science tells us so.
My favorite book in the world, Compassionomics, brings to the surface a fascinating study by Harvard University where ten thousand students from middle and high schools in the US were asked what their parents valued the most.
The unfortunate results?
Almost two-thirds of respondents said their parents do not value caring for others as much as they value achievements and accolades. Parents are evidently teaching their kids that life is NOT about who you are as a person, it’s about WHAT you can achieve. And nothing could be further from the truth.
I want to do whatever I can to help people, and I’m always looking for new ideas. We also have a massive nursing shortage, and it has only become more serious over the last few years as nurses have experienced more and more burnout. During the early days of COVID-19, I began leading virtual “Coffee Chats” for nurses, where we talk about how to cultivate self-compassion and protect ourselves to “stay in the game,” all while having a cup of coffee together over Zoom.
(These chats are still going, by the way, and you can sign up here if you are a nurse.)
And then I thought, “wouldn’t it be great if the coffee itself served as a reminder to be more compassionate?”
Cups of Compassion, my coffee brand, was born on the spot. I already had a close friend who roasted coffee and was willing to help me spread my compassionate message. So, we teamed up to create a fabulous product that is easy on your system, ethically sourced, and most importantly, helps raise money for nursing education.
So why coffee? What can coffee teach us about ourselves?
Well, first, people naturally seem to connect over coffee. It stimulates our minds, warms our bodies, and many of us associate it with feelings of comfort. Even the smell is pleasurable to most of us.
Secondly, I always say that you can’t pour from an empty cup. When you have given, given, and given some more, it’s easy to find yourself empty, with nothing left for yourself. For this reason, the coffee metaphor just keeps working – it seems to drive home the idea that we must refill ourselves, just like a cup.
Ideally, we won’t let our cup run out once we find a bit more balance for ourselves.
Until then, there is so much more to do. We each need to consider ways to practice more compassion for ourselves, which can make it a lot easier to be compassionate with others.
It IS possible to learn to be more compassionate, and the only way to learn is to practice.
If you are nurse, you can sign up for an upcoming CeraVe Coffee Chat session by clicking here.
You can learn more about Cups of Compassion coffee by visiting our website here.