“When we treat ourselves kindly even after a mistake, we are more likely to try again. Research by developmental psychologist Kristin Neff and others also shows that self-compassion makes us more accountable and productive. This means we have a greater shot at accomplishing our goals. When you are dealing with new circumstances brought about by changing conditions, you are bound to make mistakes. Next time, treat yourself gently, and you’ll make good from the bad.
But, how do you do this? How do you treat yourself more kindly even after you’ve screwed up? Start by acknowledging your blunder. Be accountable for it and apologize or repair it if you need to. Then identify what led to the error and give yourself a break. Say something like, “Well, I blew it and I feel bad about that, but I’ve done my best to improve the situation and I’m human and people make mistakes. I’ll work to do better next time.” Then move on. Beating yourself up keeps you tight and unhappy. Self-compassion frees you up to find awesome ahead.”
Polly Campbell, in “How to Live an Awesome Life”
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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.
