203. I Understand

What if two simple words could change the way you experience other people? I understand. Not I agree. Not I approve. Not you're right and I'm wrong. And definitely not the passive-aggressive version of “I understand” that is really just waiting for its turn to argue. In this episode of The Becoming You Show, we're exploring the powerful pause those two words can create—the space between what someone does and everything we immediately decide it means. Because the truth is, you probably do understand. You've been scared. You've been overwhelmed. You've reacted instead of responded. You've made decisions you wouldn't make today. You've needed someone to understand that there was more happening in your life than what they could see. Most people are navigating something hard. We simply don't know what it is. Understanding that doesn't make everything someone does approveworthy. It doesn't move the boundary, erase the expectation, excuse the broken agreement, or require you to abandon yourself. It simply allows you to remember the human being before deciding what is yours to do next. And maybe that's one of the deepest forms of confidence: being secure enough to say, I understand you. And I still understand me. Giveaways: · Having your own back doesn't mean defending yourself against everything. Sometimes confidence looks like being secure enough to pause. To listen. To understand. To apologize when something is yours. To hold the boundary when that's yours. And to let another person be human without making their humanity a threat to yours. That's what we're working on this month inside Inner Lab. We're exploring what confidence really is, what it isn't, and how self-confidence becomes something you practice—not something you wait to feel. A place to get coached. A place to practice having your own back. A place to become more confident in the conversations, decisions, relationships, and life you're actually living. Because you don't have to choose between compassion for someone else and clarity for yourself. You can understand them and still understand you. Come join us inside Inner Lab. Learn more at InnerBoardSuite.com Your life deserves the confidence of having you fully on your own side.