Everywhere you turn, there are relief efforts going on for the devastation faced in Haiti these past few weeks. Whether those efforts include local fire departments sending men and women to help with emergency efforts or churches sending over their pastors and other clergymen to offer hope – the eyes of the world are on Haiti. Depending on which news channel you tune in to, the graphic shots of men, women and children being pulled from debris, both dead and alive, is enough to make you hold on to your own loved ones and be thankful that at this particular time, you’re not facing this same type of devastation.

What happens after these horrific events is that you see the world coming together like no other time. We all heard and continue to hear stories, even nine years later, of how 9-11 changed the lives of people forever; how people otherwise caught up in their own lives suddenly dropped everything to turn their eyes outside of themselves, with hearts of compassion. In researching compassion, I found this quote from Buddha that says it all: “In separateness lies the world’s great misery, in compassion lies the world’s true strength.”

Dictionary.com defines compassion as: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. So why do you think we humans often wait until something catastrophic happens before we allow our hearts to express compassion? Why can’t we live day to day with hearts of compassion? You don’t have to look too far to find hurting people – people who may have just lost a loved one, been diagnosed with cancer, or lost their source of income. When you look outside of yourself with a heart of compassion, you open yourself up to a whole other world. You could be living next door to someone who has a child who was just diagnosed with stage 3 lymphoma.

Think of the number of times in a day that you pass a co-worker or maybe you are checked out at a grocery story by a clerk and you both robotically ask the question, “How are you?” Most of the time, we keep on walking and you and/or the other person simply answer, “Fine, thank you.” The truth is there are lots of people who aren’t just “fine.” What if you allowed your senses to connect with other people and purposely turned on your compassion meter? Some people are extremely easy to read, while it may be harder to detect any change in emotions in others. Regardless of how in tune you are, many people simply choose to live their lives with their heads buried in the sand.

Being in the weight loss and fitness industry, I often encounter hurting people who are trying to change their lives for the better – to become healthier physically, which we all know in turn works hand in hand with a healthier emotional and spiritual side. There is a reason that we are made of these three parts – we need to experience wellness in all areas before we can walk in complete health. When you step outside of yourself and plant seeds of hope, encouragement and even relief to others, you set yourself up to live a blessed life – someone who offers compassion and even accepts compassion from others when roles are reversed.

We need to be there for one another – in good times and in bad – it’s our responsibility. I think it’s awesome that the world is stepping up to the plate in Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake, but let me challenge you to live a life of compassion on a daily basis. Make a conscious effort to notice the people around you and open yourself up to being “used” even if it’s just with an encouraging pat, a bag of groceries, a sweet smile, word or even just a “thumbs up!” People need to love and be loved. If you purpose to live a life of compassion, you’ll be surprised and rewarded at how often you are put in the path of someone who without you may go into tomorrow without hope. Think of the lives you could be impacting!

I want to encourage you to think of ways you can you show compassion this week at home with your family, in your neighborhood, at the workplace or even at your local gym. We’re in this together, and I’m here to support you in any way I can to help you live the life you were destined to live. To help in Haiti relief, you can donate to the American Red Cross, UNICEF or Samaritan’s Purse today and make a difference.

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