If you were going to climb a mountain, you would make a number of necessary preparations. An important one might be to consult with those who have taken the trip already. Then you would carefully pack the minimal amount of essential gear, checking and double-checking to make sure everything was in good working order. Only then would you set out on your adventure.

The journey toward higher levels of wellness poses a similar challenge, and requires similar preparation. The equipment is less tangible, so it may be easy to neglect what is most essential. In remembering knowledge, self-trust, safety, and perseverance, you might forget love and compassion. Yet these form the knapsack that carries all your other resources.

Compassion is an attribute of love. It means an empathic consciousness of weakness or distress, together with the desire to alleviate it. Any attempt at change that lacks it is doomed from the start. It is just that important!

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