Leading with an empathetic heart and ear:
Just stop to really listen and imagine their lives and put yourself in their shoes. Don’t stop to assume anything based on your own personal experiences and assumptions. Put yourself in there shoes with no biased viewpoint based on who you are.
Let them speak their words and work through whatever it is they are trying to share with you.
A lot of people are quick to make up biased assumptions into everything. A lot of us do it automatically and unknowingly. Some of us are experiencing the world through our specific fog coloured lenses and we make up an entire assumption around people and their lives that are seldom even accurate.
A practice to start with is to stop and ask yourself if your opinion is based solely on what someone has tried to share with you about their experiences, or is it really based on how you perceived it based on who you are, personally? (Have you ever noticed the entirely different opinions you hear about the same person?)
Did you really stop to listen? Have an understanding heart on what they are saying?
A good practice to start doing is to ask yourself how you’ve arrived at your own conclusion.
These tips should help you stop to really listen and experience their truth and help you to be more compassion and empathetic to the people around you. They are experiencing a completely different and unique experience to you.
“The most beautiful people we’ve known are those who’ve known defeat, suffering, struggle, loss, and found their way through the depths. These people have an appreciation and understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern.” - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Some of the most kindest people I’ve encountered have suffered so deeply through out life that they wish the people around them anything but the darkness they’ve fought through.
Please, just be kind. You have no idea what battle someone is facing.
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