[Re-release] Practicing Courage #30: Listening deeply - letting go of fixing, saving, and advising

As part of a 4-part series on the Power of Compassion yesterday we released a moving conversation with Jerry Colonna and Leah Weiss. 

Together they explored the future of work: Love, Safety, and Belonging. 
 
To complement these conversations on compassion I am sharing some of the most potent practices I’ve come across for opening the heart, and accessing more courage and compassion. 

Today's we'll explore the question: 

“How can we create conditions for other people to be courageous?”

A question I  have been exploring for years, on The Courageous Life Podcast, and beyond.

The interest in this question stems from the common and celebrated narrative (particularly in the US) of the lone hero.

That romanticized myth of pulling oneself up by their bootstraps and doing it all on their own.
 
While it might be an inspirational tale, it can put a lot of pressure on an individual to be courageous, which is pressure that isn't always be necessary. 
 
 As you can imagine, exploring this question over the years has yielded many answers. 

A few include: 

• Let someone know you have their back
• Provide training, resources, tools, insights etc that help them pursue what they care about
• Create forms of safety that foster healthy risk taking

One of my favorite answers to this question though, came from best-selling author, and teacher Parker Palmer

During our first conversation, Parker and I discussed finding the courage to embrace our whole selves and finding the courage to pursue our true vocation.

In today's practice:

• You'll hear a small snippet of what he had to say 
• And I will offer up a multi-step process for creating the conditions for others to be courageous that involves deep listening, open questions, and letting go of habits of fixing, advising, correcting, or solving.

Curious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:

• The Courageous Journey Toward Wholeness | Parker Palmer
• The Power of Compassion Pt. 3 | Jerry Colonna and Leah Weiss 

Thank you for your practice today!
 
 I look forward to continuing together next Thursday!
 
 -Joshua

 8 Week Compassion Cultivation Training with Joshua begins July 12th!

If you are interested in a deeper more experiential dive into these insights and practices I  would encourage you to join me on July 12th, as I will be teaching an 8 week course on compassion originally created at Stanford University. Learn more by heading to practicingcourage.com/cct

Want these practices delivered via text?
 
If you are located in the U.S. text the word COURAGE to 805-430-6801 to join Joshua's text community and you'll get a text once/week with a link directly to the practice.

Looking for more practice opportunities? 
 
 Check out:

• The Practice Pass - An annual membership that gives you on-demand access to robust practice experiences including the 28-Day Practicing Courage Challenge, The 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge and the brand NEW Creativity Challenge.
• Past Practicing Courage episodes in the podcast feed
• The FREE Practice Library