Looking back, I feel for the missus. She used to get the worst of me.

Oprah Winfrey, an undeniably successful guide to millions, once explained the three things every human being wants most are to be seen, heard, and understood. This is the essence of empathy.

It's a phone call in the morning to pray about our day, a text-message to say I'm thinking of her, a handwritten note, a postcard when I'm out of town on business, remembering what drink she likes when we're at a bar, asking follow-up questions about her friends, and not hiding behind humor when it's time for a serious conversation.

I only say this because a positive evolution happened in my life when I realized healthy relationships happen best between healthy people.

I think that's why so many couples fight, because they want their partners to validate them and affirm them, and if they don't get that, they feel as though they're going to die. And so they lash out. But it's a terrible thing to wake up and realize the person you just finished crucifying wasn't Jesus.

It bears repeating. The more we talk about the problems our customers experience, the more interest they will have in our brand.

Advertisers personify the problems their customers face in order to capture their imagination and give their frustrations a focal point.

By talking about the problems our customers face, we deepen their interest in everything we offer.

Nobody will listen to you unless they sense that you like them. If a person senses that you do not like them, that you do not approve of their existence, then your religion and your political ideas will all seem wrong to them. If they sense that you like them, then they are open to what you have to say.

In the churches I used to go to, I felt like I didn't fit in... I was accepted but not understood. There was room at the table for me, but I was not part of the family.

Empathetic statements start with words like, "We understand how it feels to..." or "Nobody should have to experience..." or "Like you, we are frustrated by..." or, in the case of one Toyota commercial inviting Toyota owners to engage their local Toyota service center, simply, "We care about your Toyota".

As long as you're willing to turn the other cheek with the mean ones, vulnerability can get you a wealth of friends.