Empathy as a way of life

I just read a great article about empathy in the context of UX design and the title really stuck with me — “Empathy is not a tool. It’s a lifestyle.”

Exactly.

Empathy isn’t a quick fix when you need to patch things up or a last resort when nothing else works.

Empathy is a muscle we build that aids in every aspect of life — business, education, healthcare, relationships, parenting, sports, faith, etc. It’s a way of life.

For me today, that means trying to understand someone’s motive and perspective before I just blurt out “No!” to what at first seemed like an outrageous request.

Empathy isn’t elective, although sometimes I would rather opt out. I have to work at showing empathy every day — even if it’s a short chat with a neighbor or the way I phrase an email.

That seemingly small, daily exercise of empathy is hard. But it’s where the magic happens and we become more empathic.