Valid

We all want to feel like our feelings are valid. We want to know that our actions are justified. We want to know that others understand us. We want people to empathize with us. It's only natural. However, we must graduate from validation to prudence. For some of us, we may have to recognize that our validation may not come from the sources we seek. Our validation is internal. Maturity is the wisdom in knowing that while our feelings might be valid, certain actions are not. Find comfort in knowing that you have the right to feel how you feel, but feelings don't always have to translate into actions.

Empathy

Perspective is reality. It's hard to relate and understand someone when you don't have common ground. It's hard to find common ground when you are polar opposites. It's hard to do anything if you don't really want to do it in the first place. The biggest obstacle to empathy is self. Empathy is a choice. It is allowing yourself to feel someone else's pain as well as their joy. Empathy is a deliberate vicarious experience. Choose to understand. Choose to walk in someone else's shoes. 

"Empathy is about standing in someone else's shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place. " -Daniel H. Pink