Hi All!
It’s me again. I hope you survived another workweek. Here’s your weekly dose of wisdom to help you transition into a weekend that is both productive and creative. If you intend on recharging this weekend, then that’s totally fine too, of course.
1. “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” – Mohsin Hamid
Emotion researchers define empathy as the ability to understand other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to sense what someone else might be thinking. People who are good at gauging feelings tend to do better in business and life.
Empathy is especially useful for those who work in sales. Walk a mile in the buyer’s shoes and you don’t just understand their thoughts about you and your company, but also about their motivations to buy.
2. “It’s only at the first encounter that a face makes its full impression on us.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
It’s human nature to judge someone the moment we see them. We don’t have any intentions to harm others or put them under the microscope. We do it naturally and automatically because it’s in our human nature.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the ability to evaluate someone was an essential survival tool. Whenever we found ourselves in a potentially life-threatening situation, such as an encounter with a different tribe, we had to assess them quickly. There was a chance that they wanted to kill us.
The next time you see someone and form an opinion about them, take a step back. How well do you know that person? What are some of the things that you might not know about them? If you continue to hold this impression about them, how will that affect your relationship with that individual?
3. “Complacency closes you off to growth, and opens you up to failure.” – Mike van der Poel
This weeks article on MikevanderPoel.com is titled, “Why Great Things Never Came from Comfort Zones”. Take a read now if you’d like. It’s written for those who have a burning desire to be successful, but struggle to escape their comfort zones.
Dangers tends to build up when we find ourselves in a place of comfort for too long. We become complacent but feel empty inside because we know that we’re living below our means.
You have to become good at taking risks if you want to achieve your full potential. Want to have more meaningful relationships? Step outside your comfort zone, work on your empathy, and question opinions you form on first encounters. If you never take a risk, you will continue to settle for the ordinary.
Until next week,
Mike van der Poel
Previous: Stay on Track: Social Acceptance, Outward Images, and the Fear of Judgement — Sept. 24, 2021
We all fear being judged. It doesn’t feel good to be criticized for who are or what we do. All we want is social acceptance and a positive outward image …