As a child, my mom would always say to me, "Put yourself in their shoes," as she encouraged me to have empathy for others. To truly put yourself in someone else's shoes takes good time and reflection rather than a cursory thought or two. Today, I decided to take the time to put myself in someone else's shoes--someone I don't understand that well. As I did that, I considered the following categories.
Place
Where does the person live, and what kind of effect do those places have on the individual's life?
Profession
What does the person do for a living? How does that affect their experience of life?
Interests
What does the person really get excited about? How do they spend their free time and money on?
Personality
What kind of person is this? What are their expressions like?
Annoyances
What annoys this person?
Dreams
What are this person's dreams?
The more we know people, the better we are able to get along with them and have empathy for them too. Onward.