Why self-compassion is necessary to achieve your goals

I used to think self-compassion was a weak phrase for weak people who were lazy and didn’t follow through on their goals.

True, those types of people exist and might throw around self-compassion as an excuse for their lack of effort and discipline. But that’s not what true self-compassion is.

Self-compassion has three aspects:

Self-kindness – being decent to yourself

Common humanity – recognizing your problems are not unique

Mindfulness – being aware of your own thoughts and experiences

None of these things imply weakness or laziness.

Self-compassion is based in neuroscience. This is not “feel-good” psychology to excuse bad behavior.

Just beating yourself up when you don’t do or say what you want is actually the lazy way out. Anyone can get angry. Anyone can be bitter. Anyone can react emotionally and criticize themselves. It’s the natural response and takes zero effort, and pursuing goals out of self-loathing or anger may lead to short-term success but inevitably ends destructively.

Self-compassion asks us to go a step further – we treat ourselves as a friend, not as an enemy. We ask good questions. We recognize we aren’t alone, that people have been where we are, and people have also made the best of any circumstance we can imagine. We’re aware of untrue, self-destructive thoughts and work to replace them with true, positive, growth-oriented ways of thinking. We’re self-critical, but it’s CONSTRUCTIVE criticism that both acknowledges our weaknesses (we all have them) and gives us a path forward.

Expect more of yourself. Work hard toward meaningful goals. Enjoy the process.

If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me