The Year of Empathyfeatured

Do you ever wonder what it’d be like to have all the right answers at the precise time in which you needed them? Without fail, humiliation, and defeat. Such a level of confidence that could bring a person to be insignificantly perfect 100% of their existence.

But let’s face it. That’s not entirely realistic. Part of being human is to make mistakes and to learn from them. Of course that’s under the assumption that we want to.

2020 has been such an odd year; with as many ups and downs as a roller coaster that one could perceive we’re on an eternal loop. (Most of us wanting to get off this ride.) But the things we’re all being challenged to address cause us to see things from another perspective – whether we agree with it or not. There’s no where to run when your enemy has you cornered.

In all the changes we’ve been facing daily, how we handle and adjust to them matter. If there’s anything that has constantly been reoccurring and this year is teaching us, it is about EMPATHY. This allows us to understand and relate with the feelings of another.

It might not be easy to see, but lets consider all the things that have happened this year:

⚜ A global pandemic that has forced us to evaluate everything in our day-to-day lives. Whether that’s through focusing on what truly matters to us, our mental health, the consideration of how we interact with others through established safety protocols, or how we encourage others to continue to succeed through virtual learning and limited in person contact at work.

⚜ Even if you look at the social challenges this year has brought forward, you will see the cries of racial equality & justice present. To be treated the same as everyone else with the same amount of concern for compassion as their peers who are of different races. Hundreds have marched in spirit to uphold these values. And honestly, who could blame them for their passion? It’s natural to seek for justice when basic human rights aren’t being followed and haven’t been for decades. We insight change when we know what has existed is no longer effective.

⚜ One proud moment for me came when the Supreme Court ruled that sexual orientation and gender identity were protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As an HR professional my enthusiasm over this ruling was overwhelming. I nerded out so hard to understand who & what was protected under this change. No matter the legal ramifications set in place, discrimination still occurs and harassment of all kinds does too.

In this moment of joy, a colleague expressed his relief that he could now tell the people that he worked with that he was gay. While some had already known this to be true the difference was that he no longer feared that his employer could fire him based on that premise. To know that he was legally protected gave him the comfort and confidence to promote his authenticity. What a sigh of relief this would be for anyone in those shoes.

It is hard to believe it is already September. With how restricted and chaotic 2020 has been I thought we would at least get to enjoy more of this year. But with many of us locked away in our houses since March and others slowly being able to return to work, we’ll see what the last few months have in store. Here’s to hoping 2021 is a better year for all of us.

Life does naturally come with many challenges. One thing you will want to make sure you have in your toolbox is the skill of empathy. For it is a powerful gift beyond measure. In our darkest moments when the world feels like it is going against us and we’ve lost so much of ourselves to our personal trauma’s, it can warm the coldest of hearts knowing that someone else can relate with what we’re going through.

Empathy is what bridges the gap between two or more people so a connection can be built. It is the same bridge that helps to find common ground when differences seem to arise. Too often we are faced with the same choice. We either cross the bridge to seek out understanding or stay behind only to remain stuck in our old ways. The choice is always yours.

It is no secret that the depth of our empathy is only as deep as we allow it to be. So while logical thinking may get us only so far, the connection we could have a long the way allows us to go further. It is important to remember that while we navigate through the rest of this year that we never stop showing up for ourselves & others. What is left at risk if we do stop is everything we’ve built our foundation upon.

Empathy is the medicine the world needs.

– H ❤