Hello and welcome,
And today's word for living your best life is empathy,
One of my faves.
When was the last time somebody truly understood you,
Or showed that they understood you,
Showed that they cared?
And when was the last time that you felt seen or heard or valued?
That is the power of empathy,
The ability to connect with others by understanding and sharing their feelings.
What's interesting about empathy and somebody with very,
Very high empathy is that they can really step into your world,
Even if they've never experienced what you're describing.
So it's not just about kindness,
It's about deep listening,
Emotional intelligence,
And seeing the world through someone else's eyes.
Empathy builds trust,
It strengthens relationships,
And it creates a much more compassionate world.
Studying empathy myself,
Going into different scenarios that my clients have brought to me,
Has been absolutely fascinating.
Not asking myself,
How would I manage that situation,
But how would I manage that situation if I were that person with their life and their history?
That's the key.
Without empathy,
Misunderstandings grow,
Conflict escalates,
Relationships will get distanced,
And I personally see a lot of problems in organizations where there's a lack of empathy.
Although we can be highly successful without empathy,
We won't necessarily be successful in our relationships with people.
We may be successful,
But the people around us may be suffering.
That's,
Of course,
Never good for longevity in terms of leadership.
So with empathy,
We heal,
We unite,
We share respect,
We give value,
And we transform the way we interact.
Ask yourself today,
Please,
How can you cultivate deeper empathy in your life?
And if you're somebody that's already a very highly empathetic person,
Your question might be,
How can I step back a little from the deep empathy that I feel for people?
Because for individuals who are highly empathetic,
Our challenge is actually not taking on the pain of others into our own energetic world,
And that's a different challenge entirely.
Princess Diana was known as the people's princess.
Diana used her platform of visibility in the media to really connect deeply with those who were suffering,
From holding the hands of AIDS patients.
And at that time,
That was a magnificent step.
People were terrified of AIDS at the beginning.
She went all the way to comforting landmine victims.
She humanized struggle that many ignored,
And she showed that all tiers of life can be empathetic.
Fred Rogers,
His television show wasn't just entertainment,
It was an empathy masterclass.
Through gentle conversations and storytelling,
He taught generations of children the importance of kindness,
Emotions,
And seeing the world from others' perspectives.
And Mahatma Gandhi himself had a principle called Ahimsa,
Which was all about non-violence,
And that was rooted in empathy.
He believed that understanding others,
Even one's enemies,
Was the key to peace.
Studies have even shown that if you are working for a terrorism force,
Coming to a successful close on the negotiations with a terrorist came down to empathy.
Isn't that fascinating?
Now,
Neuroscientists have identified mirror neurons in the brain which allow us to feel what others feel,
Making empathy a natural human trait.
So the interesting question there is,
If we don't have empathy,
Why have we blocked it off?
What may we have experienced in our early years?
And studies show that empathetic leaders create much more successful workplaces,
Not only because they foster trust and motivation and collaboration,
But because people in their organizations feel safer,
More understood,
More respected.
So three things I invite you to play with today around empathy,
And number one is to practice active listening.
Focus fully on the speaker.
Without planning your response,
Just listen.
Validate their emotions before offering any advice at all.
That validation piece is often missed.
Number two,
Expose yourself to different perspectives.
Read books,
Different types of books,
Watch documentaries,
Talk to different types of people with different backgrounds and experiences,
And get really curious.
This brings us back to that wonderful word of curiosity.
Get really curious in why people feel what they feel in different situations and how you might have felt in that situation or not.
Just get curious.
And then number three,
Ask yourself,
How would I feel in a situation?
And ask yourself that question before judging someone.
Take a moment to put yourself in their shoes.
And we're going to end today on a quotation by Marcus Aurelius.
Whenever you are about to find fault with someone,
Ask yourself the following question,
What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I'm about to criticize?
