“Empathy is a tool of compassion. We can respond empathically only if we are willing to be present to someone’s pain. If we’re not willing to do that, it’s not real empathy.”
Brené Brown
Song: Cool Kids by Echosmith
Article: How To Have More Empathy by Melli O’Brian. This resources has a 3-min video by Brené Brown that is soooo good for conveying the difference between sympathy and empathy.
Thought: Part 2 of the Soundtracks series is all about Empathy: Empathy is communicating that incredible healing message of “you are not alone.”
This thought is a direct Brené Brown quote. I learned about empathy from my friend Ben Marré. We were sitting in a Starbucks and I was complaining about a co-worker not showing up and getting things done. He asked a simple question that forever changed me. “What if you asked them about what might be going on at home?” Turns out there was a lot and it had nothing to do with me or work.
Empathy is one of my core values. I want to sit on your side of the couch even when I don’t know what to say or how to help. I’m willing to crawl down into the darkness until we both find a way out. I’m not there to fix it; I’m there to sit with you in it. Communicating “you are not alone” builds connection while a sympathetic ear makes it about me. I’ve needed many people to show me empathy, regardless of my deserving it, and when they have, they have shown what love really is.
When I get the chance to share this gift, I take it. We all deserve to know that “you are not alone.” And to remind myself – “you are not alone” too.