I’m not trying to save the world anymore. Not because I think that my actions don’t matter—every action by every one of us counts. And I’m not giving up on the world because I believe it’s a lost cause—we’re at a fantastic threshold of awakening.

The most powerful thing I can do for the world is to heal myself. When I heal my own inner conflicts, immune system, and polarizations, two beautiful things occur…

ONE
I’m less of a burden, so to speak, on the system. I need less time and energy from friends, healthcare professionals, and social structures in general (worth noting that I live in Canada and, although we’re looking rather draconian these days, we do have free healthcare, which is exquisitely humane).

TWO
When I focus on healing myself, I tap into a deep reserve of self compassion—and self compassion is one of the most unifying forces in the universe. When you practice Loving Kindness toward yourself, you will feel connected to humanity.

Self healing melts the illusory lines between “self” and “other.” When you begin to find peace for yourself where there was once fear, and strength where there was chaos, you will naturally want to help others to find ease. You’ll become very encouraging. But mostly, you’ll be patient with everyone’s healing process.

It’s not your job to singularly save the world—or your partner, or the government. But it’s very much your job to heal yourself. And in healing yourself, you can inspire some people around you to heal themselves.

Imagine if tyrants healed their parent issues and started doing breathwork. Or greedy folk atoned for their imbalance with generosity. Or imagine yourself forgiving everyone you resent and meditating daily to restore your nervous system and align with your Soul’s guidance. And this: envision how your individual pain connects you to the collective.

I just so happen to have an exercise for that!

A simple how-to…

1. Think about a small pain of yours that you’re dealing with. A very manageable kind of suffering (we’re not going for the big trauma stuff with this exercise.) Okay…
2. Gently embrace that pain, breathe into it. Use your heart’s mind to do this, you already know how. Focus. Feel your pain without judgment. Pour on warm, luminous compassion. No bypassing, just all respect and attention. Depending on the spectrum of your pain, this could take thirty seconds while you’re in your kitchen, or a year of daily contemplation. You let your pain soften you.

Now we’re going to go from a personal to a transpersonal level. You’re going to use your pain point to create a connection with someone else.

3. Gently ask yourself: Who else is experiencing this similar pain as me—or worse? Is there a way I can help comfort them or alleviate their pain?

This is not to invalidate your own suffering. It’s to validate someone else’s. This is an act of inclusiveness. It’s not to take on their suffering, that’s highly counter-productive. This is to witness another’s suffering. And that’s love that transmutes pain.

THAT’s making the most of this situation. And it will save us all.

With you every step of the way,

Danielle

If you can see yourself facilitating this type of exercise with people, we’ve got what you need to get started right HERE. Healing happens when we all go deeper, together.

Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path—from one seeker to another. The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries. Named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes, millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for kickass spirituality.” A speaker, a poet, a painter, and a former business strategist and Washington-DC think tank exec, Entrepreneur Magazine calls Danielle, “equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass…edgy, contrarian…loving and inspired.” Her charities of choice are Eve Ensler’s VDay: a global movement to end violence against women and girls, and charity: water, setting out to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her favourite philosopher, her son. You can find her @daniellelaporte and just about everywhere on social media.