Business Partners | Harp Family Institute

What is the Difference Between Sympathy and Empathy? 2 of 3

I recently wrote a blog post about listening with empathy while maintaining your sanity. But how can you do that if you don’t really understand the difference between sympathy and empathy? So let’s take a moment to define them both and garner a better understanding of how they can apply to your life.

The Dictionary definition of the word Empathy means: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

While the Dictionary definition of the word Sympathy means: feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune.

So, as a practitioner who just shared how I am able to empathize with someone while maintaining an emotional distance, you may be asking how I can do that while sharing the feelings of another person? In order to understand and share the feelings of another person, you most likely have to have experienced those feelings yourself at some point in time in your life. Most people experience many of the same emotional ups and downs throughout their life, whether it’s an argument with a family member, friend or co-worker, frustrations over being overlooked for a promotion or a job, feelings of insecurity and inadequacy, ultimately, most of the emotions we experience as individuals are ubiquitous.

As a result, when a client shares with me about something going on in their life, I am most likely able to draw on an experience I have had and share with them the details about that experience. I am able to convey the way I felt about my own situation and how I dealt with it. This is empathy. Having the ability to understand and then share in the feelings of others. I don’t have to take on their emotional state to recognize and validate what they are going through. But I can help them to realize they aren’t alone in their feelings and experiences.

Between the ability to express themselves fully, answer pointed questions I ask, and absorb what they are able to take from my own experiences, my clients often leave our sessions feeling heard. Feeling valued. Feeling like they understand their next steps.

When someone experiences something truly tragic, like the loss of a partner or child, the depth of this emotion is not something I would ever imagine to fully share and understand. Thus, I can offer empathy through the loss of my dad, but merely sympathy regarding their own personal loss. Gratefully, I haven’t had to experience such loss or pain in my life. Sometimes sympathy is all someone needs to get through the day. They need a shoulder to cry on. A hug so hard they remember they are still alive. An ear to bend. They don’t need empathy from you. They don’t need you to talk. They just need you to listen or to just be. They just need you.

The acts of empathy and sympathy can be difficult for some people. It doesn’t come naturally to everyone. My next blog entry on this topic will address simple, but effective things you can do to express empathy or sympathy that will help make the other person feel supported.

How to Pick Yourself Up by the Bootstraps Day After Day

Phew, this is a tough topic, in my opinion. Sometimes life as an entrepreneur is amazing. Everything is going your way. You are on top of the world. Everyone wants to snuggle up next to you and your neighbors want to be you.

And then . . .

NOT.

I always say, if entrepreneurship was for everyone, then everyone would do it. Obviously, that’s not the case. You need a soul of steel somedays to withstand and endure the wild roller coaster of business ownership. I will never forget several years ago sitting at an awards dinner with my husband (which we won btw). We had just come off of a crazy day with about 3 major highs and an equal number of major lows (business wise). We joked at the time about the crazy day we had just endured and how this lifestyle is definitely not for everyone. A friend recently said she and her husband use the phrases, “I’m killing it / it’s killing me” to describe business ownership and sometimes multiple times a day. I loved that!! So, with the constant volatility of entrepreneurship, what are some techniques to pick yourself up from your bootstraps to persist, persevere and continue to pursue your passion?

According to research via Harp Family Institute, 3 ways entrepreneurs healthfully deal with stress is to, exercise, talk it through, and change your environment. I have taken this to heart and have adopted what I call the “walk and talk”. Just when you’re about to bang your head against your desk or punch your computer, find someone around you and take a walk. Long, short, fast or slow, it doesn’t matter. Choose a topic to discuss. It can be about work if you need to orally process, or it can be about the latest tv show or movie you have seen. By changing your environment, talking and walking, you are essentially accomplishing all 3 of the top stress releasers recommend in one activity.
Choose an amazing life partner! This may seem obvious, but its really not. In order to regularly feel like you’re not entirely alone in the world, it’s best to have a spouse or life partner who is able to make lemonade out of lemons on a regular basis with you. Don’t leave him/her in the dark. Keep your partner appraised of your ups and downs. That said, find out how much they can actually handle and try to work within those parameters. HFI data shows that spouses can take a great deal more than entrepreneurs believe. Have the conversation and let your spouse know how you want them to respond when you’re sharing about the business. When you share an ‘it’s killing me’ moment, do you just want to vent or actually get their feedback?
Sleep. I know as entrepreneurs you want to feel like you’re invincible super heroes all of the time, but even most super heroes need sleep. Study after study shows the importance of getting a good night of sleep. Give in and allow yourself 8, 9 maybe even 10 hours!
Give yourself permission. This may seem odd, but sometimes giving yourself permission to take a few hours or even a day off will free your mind to solve the problem at hand. Day in and day out you give of yourself, your time, your energy, your everything. We are human and we do need to recharge. Allowing time to yourself will often heal the fissure you feel from the constant beat down of business ownership.
Find a simple task to complete. During your day, you are likely bombarded with a million major fires and problems to solve. I often talk about how packing an overnight bag or deciding what to eat for dinner feels monumental after a long day of decision making. Find something brainless and simple to do, like doing the dishes, making your bed, or a certain repetitive action in a video game. The sense of completion you will feel from even doing a menial task can help heal your bruised psyche.
Self talk. What we tell ourselves on a daily basis matters. Sometimes when we are surrounded by, what feels like dishonorable people, reminding ourselves that we would rather be an honorable soul can help. Sadly, in the business world, as in life, not everyone operates at the same level of loyalty and honor. And it is frustrating. Sometimes it’s hard to always DO THE RIGHT THING. But know, even if it means you get screwed over sometimes, you probably couldn’t live with yourself if you didn’t live as honorably as you do. For the duplicitous a** holes out there, well, just try to feel sorry for them. For they most likely live a challenged and miserable life behind closed doors. (I think this may end up being a whole blog post for another day)!
Read. Fiction, non-fiction. Whatever works. It’s great to choose books (or movies) about people who were down and eventually “made it”. Stories like those about Walt Disney and other entrepreneurs who tried, and tried, and tried, and tried and only when they thought it a lost cause, finally made it. Those are my super heroes! Tenacity. Perseverance. Souls of steel!
Recognize that stuff is just stuff. Houses, cars, jewelry, boats, planes and all of the great things that come with having money are only great if you have someone to share it all with. Sometimes it’s easy come, easy go with this lifestyle. Make sure you try to surround yourself with friends and family who won’t bail on you if times get tough. Ask yourselves, how far are we willing to go and how much are we willing to risk? Set limits and try your darnedest to keep them. What would happen if you had to sell the house and move to an apartment? Still together or not?
Hug a child or a pet. Sometimes we just need a little unconditional lovin’ in our lives. Although our spouses and partners can offer love and support, its just feels different when its coming from someone who doesn’t really understand just how much pressure you are feeling not to let them down. No kids or pets in tow? Buy a large stuffed animal or a weighted blanket and put in on your chest. There’s a reason they use them for individuals with disabilities. They are amazingly comforting.
Practice gratitude. When life gets you down, make a list of everything you are grateful for. Come up with as many things as you can think of and share it with your partner. Recognizing how much we have in our lives can put the down moments into perspective and help propel us forward. Sometimes it also helps to make a reverse gratitude list. How much worse could it be? Then be grateful it’s not that bad!
Recently we started watching Little House on the Prairie with our kids. Aside from the tremendous amount of “teachable moments” the show provides, I love watching how Pa literally has bootstraps on his boots. A great deal of the literature review for my Master’s Thesis was on farm families because in many ways, they were the original entrepreneurs. Every time I watch Pa and his bootstraps I am grateful for how far we’ve come!

How do you pull yourself up from your bootstraps?

Me | You A 52 Week Guide Toward Making Appreciation Simple and Habitual at the Office

If you read my previous blog post, after I published the first book, I thought, why stop with marital relationships. . . let’s bring it to the office! After all, research shows that when a business incorporates a value-based recognition system—a program that specifies ways to show appreciation for its employees’ work and contributions—there is less turnover, higher employee engagement, and an increase in the bottom line. So I made one to try out at your office as well!

Coming soon: Sex and Intimacy
Parents and Children

http://www.lulu.com/shop/trisha-harp/me-you-a-52-week-guide-toward-making-appreciation-simple-and-habitual-at-the-office/paperback/product-23347708.html

How Re-writing the Golden Rule Changed My Life

I recently opted to write a chapter for a collaborative book written by a group of coaches. Depending on my thoughts about the other chapters, I may, or may not choose to promote it, but in the meantime, here is a peek at my chapter.

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Like so many others, I was taught the Golden Rule when I was growing up. The meaning of “Do unto other as you would have them do unto you” seemed clear enough: treat others as you would want to be treated. So I did. I tried to treat others with the kindness and respect that I sought from others, as the Golden Rule insisted. But after a while, I also noticed a big problem with this popular guiding principle. Often, what I was doing for others didn’t match up with what I would want if the situation were reversed. I don’t particularly care for Thank You notes and I don’t need more trinkets from people, but according to the Golden Rule, that would mean I shouldn’t give them to others, either. But the truth is other people really value them.

Sure enough, after over a decade of doing my own proprietary research, collecting data, interviewing people, coaching men, women, and couples, one thing has become crystal clear: the Golden Rule isn’t always golden. Quite the opposite. If we really want to give to others, we shouldn’t treat them as we want to be treated. We should treat them as they want to be treated.

I like to call this the Platinum Rule! As individuals, we experience and receive love and appreciation in our own unique ways. What is meaningful to one person might not impact another in the same way. In my research on how marriage and entrepreneurship intertwine, the disconnect that kept cropping up between the couples I researched was due to the fact that they hadn’t communicated enough with one another. They had not discussed what they wanted and how they would like to be treated.

Several years ago, my husband started talking to me about one of his companies. I launched in, giving suggestions and trying to solve his issues, but I began to notice that the more I spoke, the less he shared. I realized that I didn’t really know what he wanted from me. Did he just want to vent? Or did he want me to be a sounding board for him to think through a dilemma that was facing him? So I asked him, “Do you want my feedback or would you prefer I just listen?” Treat others as they want to be treated. At that moment, he just needed an ear he could trust. This was a huge breakthrough for us.

A few years after that, we were working out weekend parenting agreements for our two young children. We had agreed that, on weekends, one of us would take the boys and allow the other to sleep in. Like clockwork, on my husband’s mornings, he would get the boys dressed and they’d leave the house together. I assumed he did so because he had trouble entertaining them at home. I was different: on my mornings, I kept the boys occupied at home and away from my husband.

One day, he came to me, somewhat annoyed. “Why don’t you take the boys out of the house like I do for you?” he asked. I was surprised. I told him I didn’t need him to take the boys out for me. I used earplugs when I was sleeping and their noise didn’t bother me. But he couldn’t fully relax and fall asleep when the kids were around. Instead, he was trying to lead by example and get me to take the boys out of the house. So we changed our habits and started to give each other what the other wanted. There it is again: Treat others as they want to be treated.

In the movie Parenthood, there’s a scene with Steve Martin that has stuck with me. He’s sitting in the audience, watching his child on stage, and all he can think about is how his life is like a roller coaster. The scene sticks with me because I have often felt like my own life was a lot like a roller coaster ride. I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if there is anything I can do to ensure that the individuals I hold most dear are still on the ride with me at the end.

Take a moment and think about a roller coaster that you love. One that has twists, turns, upside down parts, and hills that make your stomach drop! Now think about your life. Who is the single most important person you want to share your life’s journey with right now. It could be a spouse, a parent, a best friend, a sibling, or a child. Imagine that individual sitting next to you in a roller coaster cart. Now imagine you’re going up the hill together. Inching up closer and closer to the top. Anxiety and anticipation are escalating. Click after click, you start to wonder if this will be the best roller coaster you’ve ever experienced. Suddenly your companion puts their hand in front of your eyes and, no matter what you do, they won’t remove it.

How do you feel? Angry? Scared? Resentful? Anxious? Frustrated? Will you want to go on another ride with your companion after this experience? Maybe not.

Yet this is exactly how others feel when you don’t share with them what you’re thinking, feeling, or experiencing in your life. They are essentially riding a roller coaster blind—and they have no clue how to change their circumstances. As a result, the lack of communication creates dissonance between the two of you and robs you of the potential for deeper connection and joy.

I came across a podcast that suggested that one person’s failure to show gratitude can be felt as ingratitude by the other person. I call it the Gratitude Rule! When I look back on my own life, I can see that all those times that I didn’t call a friend, write a Thank You note, or buy a trinket, I had no intention to express ingratitude for those people’s roles in my life. But if this sentiment is correct, that is what was unintentionally conveyed and I can no longer be surprised that those relationships suffered. By not communicating, I had, in effect, put my hand over their eyes on our roller coaster ride through life together.

After decades of analysis, I have come to this conclusion: by combining the Gratitude Rule with the Platinum Rule, I believe we can enhance our connections and relationships with one another like never before.

In my seminars and coaching sessions, I give the following exercise: Choose two people in your personal life and two people at work. Then, ask those individuals to write down four things that you can do to show them how much they mean to you or how much you appreciate them. Then commit to doing those four things over the next month or two. After two months have passed, ask them how your actions made them feel and if they have any new suggestions for you. From this, you’ll gain valuable insight into how those around you want to be treated and how they receive acts of appreciation. And you’ll also be showing gratitude in the ways that mean the most to them.

Yet some people feel that it’s less meaningful for them if they have to ask someone for what they want, rather than the other person figuring it out on their own. If that’s you, think of it this way: if something is meaningful enough to you, it will feel wonderful no matter what, even if you had to ask for it.

That said, how you ask also matters. It’s best to come from a place of love and genuineness. Your words should not be dripping with bitterness, doubt, or contention. For example, perhaps you’d like to get some help with the laundry on a regular basis. It could easily backfire if you have attitude when you ask, “I wonder if you could help with the laundry once in a while so I don’t always have to do it.” Instead, try “You know, the part about doing the laundry that I dislike the most is __________. Could you start helping me with that? It would really make me happy and would help a lot.” Part of what makes the Platinum Rule work so well is that it gives you a lot of latitude to be specific about exactly what you want or need to be happier. The more specific you are, the more those around you will know what to do to make you happy.

But what if you don’t know what you want? Trial and error is a wonderful thing. We are all dynamic human beings and change our minds regularly. If something doesn’t work or stops working for you, let the other person know. Say something like, “You know how I thought ___________ would help with the laundry? Actually, that didn’t seem to make a difference. Can we try _________________ instead? Thank you!”

Treat others as they want to be treated. And express gratitude in the ways that are meaningful to them. When we operate with these two mantras in mind, amazing changes can occur. This is how we open up the lines of communication without added defenses.

How does the Platinum Rule and the Gratitude Rule apply at your work place? Research shows that when a business incorporates a value-based recognition system—a program that specifies ways to show appreciation for its employees’ work and contributions—there is less turnover, higher employee engagement, and an increase in the bottom line. In addition to my coaching and seminars, I work with many companies to help them build rapport within the organization using the very same methods I’ve been discussing in this chapter.

Aim to make communication and appreciation simple and habitual. Eventually, you will naturally do things for those around you because you know what makes them happy. And hopefully, they will return the favor.

My hope for you is to increase your “bottom line” both at home and at your office by becoming more aware of how those in your life want to be treated—and then acting on that awareness.

If you would like to receive a free PDF of my book, “Me | You: A 52-Week Guide Toward Making Appreciation Simple and Habitual,” email me at Trisha.Harp@HarpFamilyInstitute.com. If you would prefer a hard copy, it can be purchased at http://www.lulu.com/shop/trisha-harp/me-you-a-52-week-guide-toward-making-appreciation-simple-and-habitual/paperback/product-23292942.html

The Importance of Viewing Your Marriage from a Team Perspective

When we get married, the idea (or hope, or goal) is that we no longer feel alone. Regardless of the ups and downs that time may present, you have a partner, a confidant, a teammate every step of the way. Perhaps you may not always agree on an issue or a decision you have to make, but the concept that you are a team, first and foremost will help guide you through the challenge of your disagreement.

For example, some friends of mine were struggling with a variety of issues, including some parenting decisions. They found themselves constantly fighting, so they decided to go for therapy. One afternoon (several session in) the therapist stopped them mid-fight and said, “STOP!! Just stop! You’re on the same team here. . . the same side.” Just hearing those words sent ‘aha’ shock waves through them. They were able to re-convene their discussion from the perspective of, ‘at the end of the day, we both want what’s best for our child,’ thus we ARE on the same team. It was amazing how well they worked together to come up with possible solutions vs. fighting each other and making the other feel a need for defiance.

As entrepreneurs, at the office, typically, what you say . . . goes. But you didn’t get married to be the boss of your spouse. . . you are equal partners. Sometimes it is difficult to step back from your role as the boss and accept that you are equal partners in your home life.

It can be equally as challenging for a spouse who has become accustomed to deferring to the entrepreneur to find/ hold on to his/her own voice. We will continue this thread throughout other blog entries, but the foundation to all of this is the consistency of acknowledgement that you are on the same team.

Finding “Alone” Time: How to uncover it, embrace it and hold on to it

This morning I was talking with a friend about the elusive luxury of time. Between work, business ownership, family, friends, volunteer endeavors and everything in between, sometimes just finding 5 minutes of time to oneself seems nearly impossible. Below are a few tips on how to find, embrace and hold on to a few minutes of time alone.

1. One way to get some more alone time is to simply ask for it. Maybe it seems simple or maybe it seems incredibly hard to be a little selfish, but we all need it, crave it and want it. When you’re in a partnership with someone else, whether at the office or at home, simply saying the words, “I think I/we would benefit from figuring out how to create some alone time for me. Lately I’ve been feeling _______, and I think I just need to take some more time for myself.” Then, work together to make that happen. (Below are some ideas you can implement.)

2. If you have children, plan for some extra time to sleep in one weekend day each week. Trade off with your partner. For example, you get Saturday until 12 to yourself and your partner gets Sunday until 12 to his/herself. That way you can stay up a bit late the night before nine watching your favorite tv show. . . guilt free!

3. Take a bath/shower. . . alone! Growing up, my mom used to lock herself in the bathroom for what felt like forever (it was probably more like an hour) to take a bath. She would come out looking like a lobster, but she was always calmer and more relaxed afterwards. Be sure to lock the door and get support from your partner so you don’t get any surprise visitors!

4. During your day, find between 5 – 15 minutes to just close your eyes and breathe. If you can’t close an office door, go out to your car and put the seat back. If you’re afraid you are going to fall asleep, set an alarm on your phone. Just resting the mind for a few minutes each day helps decrease anxiety and increase productivity.

5. Before you walk in the door at the end of your work day, spend 5 minutes in the car thinking about something you love about what’s waiting inside for you. (Your spouse, your children, a hug, a beer, a glass of wine, your favorite tv show on the DVR etc.) Allow yourself to smile and loosen the muscles in your face. Regardless of the wonderful or miserable day you have just had, taking those 5 minutes to “pre” appreciate your home life will work wonders toward feeling a little more at peace.

6. Hire a “young” babysitter on the weekend to offer some relief. Put the feelers out that you’re looking for a “mommy’s helper”. This is generally someone age 9 – 14 who will come and play with your children while you are home. This is a great way to get some extra time on the weekends to do what you want . . . and bonus. . . they usually only charge $5 – $7 an hour. Sometimes one hour is all you need.

7. When you do find some time, don’t fill it with something you hate doing. . . like laundry. Give yourself permission to be carefree for a while. Do what you love. Paint, scrapbook, play a video game, read, watch tv, rest, whatever feeds your soul. The dishes and laundry can wait. They just can. Taking care of yourself CAN’T!

Entrepreneurs and Spouses: How to ensure you are a team . . . always

I was talking with a couple the other day about division of labor with regard to handing their personal “business”. They are recently married and prior to their nuptials, Sam* (names have been changed) owned a couple of rental properties. They have been working on trying to turn over the properties to his wife Sally*, but it has not gone particularly well.

Initially, they decided to hire a property manager with the hope and expectation that Sally would learn from her and eventually be able to manage them herself. Unfortunately, Sally and the property manager do not get along well at all. Sally spent some time looking for someone to take her place, but was only able to identify companies that charged twice the price. Eventually, Sam got frustrated, so he took back over the task of working with the property manager and Sally hasn’t been helping out with that part of their lives. Over time, this has left both Sam and Sally resentful of each other with regard to this topic. So we got to the bottom of it and came up with a plan.

First, it was important for Sam to acknowledge that Sally really does want to contribute and take more things off of his plate. To put it bluntly, sometimes women just don’t work well with other women. There, I said it!! I felt it was essential for him to recognize that it was a possibility the property manager just responded better to working with a man; and regardless of where things ended up with our “plan” it might still not be a good fit between Sally and the property manager.

Second, we decided that for the next two months, both Sally and Sam would work together with her. That way Sally could watch the way Sam interacted with her and hopefully continue that pattern after Sam was weaned off. Initially, she wouldn’t talk very much, just listen and observe. After the first month, she could start to re-establish her own relationship with the property manager, but Sam would still be involved.

Third, after 2 months, Sam would turn over the project to Sally and she would try to work with and learn from the property manager for an additional 6 months. If it worked out, great. If not, then together they would work to find a replacement.

Two major outcomes came out of this discussion.

1. They will set aside 2-3 hours of time each week to work in tandem with each other. Sam will work on whatever he needs to work on for his business, but because they will be in the same vicinity of each other, whenever Sally “needs” Sam for something, he will drop what he is doing and be fully available to Sally. This way, she isn’t saying randomly throughout the week, “I need you to call xxx”. She can set up the call and he will be there to help. This takes the responsibility off his crazy full entrepreneurial plate, but enables her to accomplish tasks she can’t do without him.

2. I pointed out to Sam, that by “taking back over” the property management account and making Sally feel inadequate because she didn’t work well with the property manager, he, for lack of a better phrase, hurt her feelings. He didn’t have her back. He didn’t show her, “we’re on the same team.” During the discussion, both Sam and Sally had an ‘aha’ moment. I don’t even think Sally realized that her feelings were hurt, but they definitely were. What she heard was, “the property manager is more important than you”. Of course that’s not what Sam was intending to convey, but that’s what was heard. In marriage, and more importantly and entrepreneurial marriage the underlying foundation has to always be, “Team Sam and Sally” or “Us vs Them” or whatever works for you and your relationship.

The plan we outlined above, recognizes that both Sam and Sally are vital to the success of their “personal business” and has them working together as a team!

The Difference between Good Communication and Talking: Skills to Master

Good communication . . . it’s a phrase everyone uses to describe a good relationship. Many of us believe we are good enough communicators that we don’t really need to work on this skill any longer. After all, we’ve been talking since we were around 2! So how does good communication differ from just talking about things?

First, good communication skills include mastering not just the art of talking, but the art of listening. A good communicator spends most of their time listening to the other person and trying to get inside their mind. What are they trying to say? Why are they saying it with that tone, those words, that facial expression? If I were trying to say the same thing, how would I say it?

After you have thought through each of these questions, the next step is to mirror their words and ask if you’re interpreting their sentiment correctly. Take the idea, ‘if I were trying to say the same thing, how would I say it?’ Then actually, put what you think they’re trying to say in your own words and say, “So, if I’m hearing you correctly, you’re saying . . . Is that correct?”

If you’re wrong, ask them to say it again, perhaps using different words. Assure them you really want to solve the issue and hear what they’re saying. The more your partner believes you care about what they are thinking and feeling, the more likely you are to better understand each other and communicate effectively.

So, the number one trick to better communicating. . . listening!

Quotes for Inspiring Greatness

I recently started to think about my presentation from a new perspective. What is it missing? How can I improve my message? I started looking up ways to inspire greatness today and these two resonated with me.

Dale Carnegie:
“Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.”

Ken Kesey:
“You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case.”

My husband is often telling the kids what a wonderful mother they have. He compliments me all the time and points out to them the specifics of what makes me great. It often makes me feel uncomfortable (while at the same time I love it)! The discomfort, I believe, comes from my wondering if he really means what he is saying. Or, is it possible, all this time he has been giving me a “fine reputation to live up to”?!! Perhaps it’s a bit of both. Either way, it certainly motivates me to be a better mother and wife so I suppose it’s a win win regardless of how I look at it.

The second quote resonated because while I do a lot of speeches and include a lot of personal anecdotes, I never fully share my personal story with people. When I was rebuilding my website, a friend encouraged me to share more of my story. I’ve been there, done that, seen that with regard to entrepreneurship from a child’s perspective, a spousal perspective and now a personal perspective. I’ve been up. . . way up and I’ve been down . . . way down. Maybe if I lead by revealing that I’ve gone to “that place” then I will inspire greatness among those who hear my story.