In any interaction, it is your choice,

to either be an advocate or antagonist.

This is a quote I heard while watching Mr Rogers and Me.

I think what keeps most from defaulting to being the advocate, fundamentally comes down to the ability to love oneself.

See and judge your own faults, it becomes easier to see and judge others.

See yourself as special, and you see the special in others.

See the special in others and you will advocate for them.

Advocating doesn’t mean agreeing.

It means being respectful, listening, hearing and understanding.

Taking the path of the advocate isn’t easy.

What about people who are bullies?

Or people who genuinely don’t have an empathetic lens?

Knowing that it is my choice to handle my next interaction either as an advocate, or antagonist is a very powerful.

It means I am in control and don’t need to be reactive.

It also means that I need to cultivate what Mr Rogers kept teaching me as a kid:

“I like you (yourself & others) just the way you are"

Original Linkedin post: http://bit.ly/2JM6oWC