Since I was 12 years old, I’ve lifted weights. It’s still a habit of mine 42 years later. Over the years, my objectives have shifted. Early on, I was focused on core strength for playing football. After college, I was more interested in muscle mass and density and contemplated body-building. As a husband, father, and professional, I balance maintaining and preserving muscle with long-term health and fitness.
In addition to my physical workouts this week, I also worked out in my mind gym. My mind gym is where I spend the first fifteen minutes and last fifteen minutes of my day, every day. It’s also where I go throughout the day to clear and calm my mind to think about something important.
One of the muscles strengthened in my mind gym is my empathy muscle. Frankly, it’s the most important muscle these days, and I wish I had started training it when I was 12.
Why do I assert it’s the most important muscle? Because it helps me bring about unity with other people. It helps me prioritize what I have in common with them, prioritizing our likenesses over our differences. I feel an extreme sense of ownership to that end. The burden is on me to:
- Seek to stand in their shoes by understanding their experiences
- Aim to get in their mind by understanding their viewpoint
- Strive to put myself in their place by imaging what they are feeling
When I can do this, we can form a unity in our minds. We can still be unique but have an eye towards the big picture by sharing a vision. That’s what being like-minded is about.
When I can do this, how we treat and respond to each other changes. We see each other as a person and not just someone with whom we want to argue. Our convictions and beliefs don’t change with the conversation, however, we start to see the other person in a new light and maybe grasp why they feel and believe what they do.
Seeking, aiming, and striving to understand someone’s viewpoint doesn’t mean we’re weak-minded. It actually reveals the strength of our empathy muscle. What would our world be like if a critical mass of people had strong empathy muscles? I pray for the day when we reach that tipping point.
Won’t you join me in this resolution? Resolve to strengthen your empathy muscle in 2024. Commit to making it a daily habit and 1% stronger each day. Happy New Year.
This post was originally published on September 6, 2020, and is republished today with minor enhancements.
MindWolves 