People often feel as though they are being empathetic when they are, in fact, being sympathetic. So what's the difference?

Brené Brown says, "Empathy is a choice and it's a vulnerable choice." Empathy is the ability to hear what someone is going through and to be able to find a way to identify with it. This means looking into yourself to think of a time when you felt something like the other person is feeling. Empathy is inclusive. It makes people feel less alone. Sympathy, on the other hand, is isolating. It is looking in on someone's problem from the outside. Sympathy can often be seen as pity. Although it comes from a good place, it doesn't make the person feel understood or respected.

Empathy is work. It's not easy. It takes practice. It takes vulnerability. It takes a willingness to listen and actually hear. This work is obvious to the people around you and creates a great example. The reward for creating an empathetic environment is huge. Your team will know and understand each other better. They will be more creative and cohesive. They will know what it feels like to be lead in a positive and uplifting way.

The following empathy exercise will help you to develop empathy with people in lots of different situations.

Step 1: Choose 3 different human interest stories to read. I find great human interest stories on https://time.com/tag/human-interest/ , but you can feel free to use any human interest stories that you like.
Step 2: Consider the situation from the POV of the people in the story.
Step 3: Pay close attention and try to imagine yourself as each person in the situation. How do you feel? Where in your body do you feel it? What previous experiences can you call on that help you identify?
Step 4: Repeat daily for maximum impact.

Have fun and let me know if you have any thoughts or questions!

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