On Empathy

I used to struggle with it. I was unaware of others and I still am most of the time. What I discovered recently is that when I pay attention I have, it seems, the ability to understand and see the needs and wants of others and act accordingly. From the smallest situation to the big stuff. For me it is what I know for sure about me. What is also true is that I had less empathy for myself. I used to discard myself and I discard my decisions and especially my abilities. I believe that it is self-awareness that informs me of what I can and can not do and I lacked self-awareness. I was afraid to believe that there are things I actually am able to do. I was afraid that if I do them people would think I am odd or would laugh at me. So I pretend I can not do anything. It was safe. This past summer I discovered in therapy that I am an extrovert actually. I was shocked but my therapist explained to me that I though I was an introvert because I was inhibited by my narcissistic father. It kind of became a super power for me. It allows me to have courage and do and connect and talk. It suddenly changed me. I feel less intimidated and empowered to connect with people. It is big. It is courage that follows empathy. But, I will talk about courage in a future post.