I am the youngest of five children. Some might say that I was a bit spoiled as a youngster, the baby of the family. Suffice it to say, I was not been known for having a lot of empathy for others, especially when I was younger. How things have changed…

In 2013, I went to Singapore for Ido Portal’s Movement Camp. It was a life-changing trip that opened my eyes to a world of movement beyond CrossFit, but it also changed my perspective on several other things. One of the things that really stuck with me was something Ido said when someone criticized some “expert” that was not there.

“Do not judge them, you don’t know what experiences they had that led them to that thinking.”

This really resonated with me; we are all a culmination of our life experiences. It is really easy to criticise someone else based on your own knowledge and experiences. If you lived the same life as that person that sounds stupid or crazy, would you really think differently than they do?

Next time someone says something that sounds ignorant or does something that frustrates you, stop and think about how they might have got there. Maybe what they need is a little empathy.