As much as it is common sense for people to be kind to others, it is sometimes not so easy to remember to be kind to ourselves. But by being kinder toward yourself, you will become happier, more effective and more motivated. It will ever help you overall to be better (and kinder) in your relationships with other people.
Here are a few habits that you could work on developing that will help you to become a person who is more kind to themselves:
· It all begins with r-e-s-p-e-c-t
o Just as much as you should respect other people, don’t forget to respect yourself too! But this is entirely too easy to forget
o An easy first step? Smile at yourself when you look in the mirror
· Define worthiness for yourself
o Examine your own values. Define your integrity. Get clear on what you actually believe, what kind of person you want to be and how you want to live your life… within the context of what is realistically attainable
o Create your own personal operating system for life, without relying on what others think is best for you. Listen within yourself for the answers
· Watch what you feed your brain with
o In other words, be mindful of the things that you are puttinginto your brain – all of the television, newspapers, magazines, even conversations can greatly impact your view of the world and yourself
o Try replacing all of the negative feedback with things like the encouragement of friends and family, or spending more time with yourself in nature and in silence. This will greatly help you with recharging your batteries
o Be aware and conscious about what you have flowing intoyour mind (and what you want to keep out)
· Practice realistic optimism
o Rather than making blanket statements about your self-worth, identify more honest, but optimistic affirmations that you can say to yourself: “Today I’m not as accomplished as I want to be, but I know I can improve and feel better about myself!” or “Today I will take one small step in the direction of my dreams and goals!”
o Improvement is always possible, and working on an improvement goal will actually help you to feel better about yourself
· Take a break sometimes!
o Choose to give yourself a break when things don’t go as you may have wished
and choose to cut yourself some slack
and choose to cut yourself some slack
o Try to take action on your thoughts maybe 60% of the time. Then raise the bar slowly over time… just not all the way to 100%! This will help you both with being able to improve and being able to be kind to yourself
o Accept that you will make mistakes or have temporary failures a certain
percentage of the time. That’s just life… and it’s ok
percentage of the time. That’s just life… and it’s ok
Self-improvement is the first step top cultivating real, true self-love. By practicing these habits, you will grow to love yourself more.
Written by Veronika for Motivational Moments
Written by Veronika for Motivational Moments