Empathy gives you the ability to enjoy another person's pain.

You're going to lose it when you follow the world "feel" with the words "because I think". Any time you are thinking, your chance of getting what you need is greatly decreased, especially when you follow the word "think" with the word "you". I predict you won't only not get heard, but I predict a defensive aggressive reaction.

I wouldn't expect someone who's been injured to hear my side until they felt that I had fully understood the depth of their pain.

Never connect yourself with the other person's pain. Just hear their need. Leave yourself out of the other person's feelings and needs.

Time and again, people transcend the paralyzing effects of psychological pain when they have sufficient contact with someone who can hear them empathically.

Empathizing with someone's 'no' protects us from taking it personally.

As we learn to speak from the heart we are changing the habits of a lifetime.