The Magic of Empathy and Gratitude | My Gratitude Project Day 30
This is the end of My Gratitude Project for 2025, but of course, there is no end to gratitude and empathy. These are enduring goals, skills—and universal human needs. So this year, consider empathy and gratitude as gifts you can bestow. In this giving season, they can be the most treasured of all. The result […]
Preparing for Empathy: 5 Questions Before You Begin | My Gratitude Project Day 29
As you would with any other important conversation, take time to prepare for empathy. Preparing for empathy will help you improve your results. If you want to use empathy tactically to influence somone, take time to prepare. Empathy as a skill is not to be taken lightly. Here are 5 questions to prepare yourself before […]
Gratitude and Empathy: My Tools for Healing | My Gratitude Project Day 28
For me, gratitude and empathy aren’t just professional skills, but deeply personal ones. In my experience, they are closely related. When everything feels like it’s crashing down and problems seem to be everywhere, these are the tools I turn to. I myself have had dark times, days when tears wouldn’t stop, when darkness was everywhere, […]
Thanksgiving Gratitude: A Little Empathy at the Table | My Gratitude Project Day 27
It’s Thanksgiving. Empathy and food — is there a connection? I don’t think so. Let’s all just be grateful today for the food we have, and empathize with those who are hungry. And if you have a crazy uncle at the table who starts trying to spout his views, don’t confront them. Spend a moment […]
Empathy and Turkeys: A Thanksgiving Reflection | My Gratitude Project Day 26
Empathy and turkeys — a half-serious post on the day before Thanksgiving? Should we empathize with turkeys? This is treacherous moral ground, and I am of the opinion that in our morals, we must each be guided by our own conscience. Vegans don’t eat any animal products, often because of a sense of empathy with […]
Animal Empathy: What Horses, Crows, and Dogs Teach Us | My Gratitude Project Day 25
Animal empathy? Research suggests that many animals empathize just like we do—or at least sort of like we do. The basis for animal empathy is mirror neurons, which were actually first detected in monkeys rather than humans. Researchers observed that the monkeys’ brains were activated in the same way whether they were grasping an object […]
Why Some People Struggle with Empathy | My Gratitude Project Day 24
When an office has a difficult employee, leaders come to me asking why some people lack empathy. It is common to believe that some people simply lack empathy. I understand why some people believe this, even though every human brain (and many animal brains) have mirror neurons in our brains that hardwire us for empathy. […]
Empathy and Love: Seeing Through the Glass Clearly | My Gratitude Project Day 23
Empathy and love are inseparable. Both lead to healing and clarity. We all know the sound of empathy and love. Like love, empathy speaks in low tones, like a late-night DJ on a jazz station. Empathy. Is. Slow. It doesn’t rush. It allows people to take back their words and say it again better. There […]
Healing with Empathy: When Listening Opens the Door | My Gratitude Project Day 22
Even in the toughest moments, healing with empathy can open a door. Recently, I counseled a client to try healing with empathy. For confidentiality, I won’t go into details, only to say that she wanted to repair a badly broken relationship. It wasn’t her fault. The whole situation was difficult and messy, involving trauma, addiction, […]