Caring ignites relationships — if you dare

Some talk to you in their free time, and some free their time to talk to you. That was Andrea Sanchez’ premise as she talked about caring, starting with caring is to have feelings for others besides yourself.

Sanchez is a “personal branding ignitor,” empowerment coach, editor in chief of WORTHY on Medium and founder of SparkStory.

People who care have certain character traits. They look outward, ask how they can help without being asked and don’t take no for an answer from those in need.

“A person who cares loves to see people smile,” Sanchez said.

You can show care toward others by being active in community-service organizations. Sanchez looked closer, assuring that her family “has what they need to feel better when they’re sick.”

Care for yourself is also important. You can do that by having regular checkups and following doctor’s orders, not kicking back and letting nature take its course. At the same time, everything won’t go exactly right.

Little wins

“To care for myself, I celebrate little wins, not strive for perfection,” Sanchez said.

She wondered. “How many people say they don’t care when in actuality they do? More people than we think actually care.”

In that way, everyone is capable of caring even in their most down moments. Whether they know it or not, they reach out to care and be cared for, hoping for helping hands.

We can find it difficult to accept caring gestures from others, being taught through culture that it’s shameful to be “charity cases.” That’s compounded when others chide you for not helping yourself.

“Caring gives attention to others or self,” Sanchez said. “Some people really dislike attention — or so they say.”

Sense of community

Anthony D’Angelo, vice president of sales and marketing at InterTrade Systems, said, “Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.” Caring leads to connections, which is another way to say community. You can’t have one without the other.

“Caring gives depth to interactions,” Sanchez said. “Without caring, there are no relationships. And without relationships, there is no sense of community.”

Caring too much can be a problem if you overextend yourself to the detriment of yourself and those you want to help. That’s why it’s better to work with others in common caring.

Sanchez added, “Caring too much about what other people think can stagnate — or even kill — your potential.”

Great and caring leaders know what their staffs can do and when they’re worked too hard. They pay attention and strike a balance because they care about both their people and mission.

“Leaders can show they care by showing that they are human, too,” Sanchez said.

It takes a lot of effort, love and vulnerability to care.

Dare to care by paying attention to those around you, especially when they might need a hand. That includes family members, as Sanchez explained:

“I dare to care by telling my teenager I love her despite getting eye rolls.”

About The Author

Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.