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Method 2: Practicing Empathy and Gratitude
1. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. If you can become more empathetic, you’ll be able to better understand other people. You can strengthen your character by being able to relate to others and helping them. Try to imagine what someone else is going through. For example, maybe your friend recently lost a sibling. Think about how that might feel and how you would react. Try to think about what you could do to make your friend feel better.
You can also take this further and actually experience what the other person is dealing with. For example, maybe your partner is frustrated because they do all of the cooking. Try taking over dinner duty for the week so that you can understand why they feel stressed.
2. Challenge prejudices in yourself and others. Most people have assumptions or even prejudices against others. These might be conscious or unconscious. For example, maybe you think that people who haven’t graduated from college are not intelligent. Try to train your brain to be more open-minded and accepting of others.
Take note of your prejudices. When you find yourself making assumptions, make a mental note. Being aware of bias is the first step in addressing it.
Next time you have these thoughts, work to actively change your mindset. Instead of thinking, “That person must not be smart,” think, “Wow, they managed to get a good job despite not having a college degree. That’s pretty impressive.”
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3. Start a gratitude practice. Gratitude is an important part of character strength because it demonstrates an awareness of the people and things around you. You can develop gratitude by intentionally making it part of your everyday life. For example, you can end each day by thinking of 3 things that you are grateful for.
You can also try keeping a gratitude journal where you write down things that you are grateful for. You could make notes throughout the day or devote 10 minutes each evening to journaling.
You could write, “Today I was given an opportunity to volunteer at the animal shelter. I’m grateful that I was able to do something constructive on this Saturday morning.”
4. Express your gratitude towards others. You can also turn your gratitude outwards. Make it a point to say “thank you” every time someone does something for you. You can also make it a point to show appreciation for things that don’t directly affect you.
For example, you could say to a co-worker, “Thank you for landing that new client. An increase in business is good for all of us.”
You can make your comments specific. You could try, “I really appreciate that you brought me some chicken soup when I was sick. You’re really thoughtful.”
In this second method, I shared how to practice empathy and gratitude. I hope you found it interesting to learn about.
Artemus Vazhui