The DAILY SPARK Blog

A powerful metaphor from a long hike:  every hiker is intimately aware of their backpack.  They picked it out, choosing from dozens of options.  They know which straps are loose and which are digging into their skin.  They can tell you if it's lopsided, and what is in each pocket.  And yet....   Even after days on the trail, they probably couldn't tell you a thing about anyone else's backpack.  Except, perhaps, that everyone else has one.  That's the first step toward empathy:  realizing that everyone else has a backpack, and that it's different from yours.Source:  Seth Godin's BlogREFLECTION:Do you realize that everyone "has a backpack that it is different from yours?"Can you take a step toward greater empathy?

"Above all, do not lose your desire to walk:  Everyday I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness;  I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it."Quote by Soren KierkegaardREFLECTION:Is walking a part of your daily practice?If not, how can you add this to your daily routine?Take a walk today!!

Nothing important is for everyone.  When we encounter a thoughtful critic, we need to quickly understand who is speaking to us.  If the work we made was intended for someone just like this, and they don't like it, we need to do a better job next time.  The criticism will help us understand how to improve.  But if the work we made wasn't for someone with the hopes, needs and expectations of the person we're hearing from, we can forgive ourselves (and them) by acknowledging who it's for and why.Source:  Seth Godin's Daily BlogREFLECTION:Do you try to please everyone?Do you consider the source of criticism or is criticism criticism?Do you need to do a better job of discerning your audience?