The good news, bad news, and the great news about self-compassion.

We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
~ Aristotle

 

First, the good news.

You can learn self-compassion, and you will feel better as you practice it.

 

Now for the bad news.

Although you will feel better as you practice self-compassion, self-compassion is not a feeling, and, ironically, the goal of learning it is not to feel better even though, in the beginning, that will seem like the hope driving you.

 

Self-compassion is about treating yourself the way you genuinely want to be treated, even when you don’t feel like it; it’s about creating habits that build you up and support you, especially when times are challenging.

 

Strangely, it all begins with your thoughts.

It begins with your thoughts and how they generate the negativity you feel—in other words, your suffering. You don’t like to suffer, so it probably seems like if you could get rid of the negative thoughts, you could get rid of the negativity you feel; then you could live carefree and easily, right?

 

Unfortunately, despite the hope your heart holds for this option, you know from experience it doesn’t work that way; life always opens new ways to suffer.

 

What if there is a way to live easier, though?

 

The great news!

There are ways to create your life so you suffer minimally or even none at all. The catch is that it takes retraining your mind to recognize the thoughts that generate suffering and then cultivating new thinking methods. Unfortunately, this also means if you still have the hope that there is an easy way to do it, you will probably feel disappointed.

In the end, it means doing the work.

 

Here’s the bottom line.

You want more joy, peace, and contentment (JPC), and to get that JPC, you’ll have to train your mind to work with noisy and judgmental thoughts.

 

Thus, your best chance of success comes from powerful tools and a guide on how to use them; then, you have the most potential for success.

 

I am the guide.

I will walk with you on this interior journey and guide you as you create new possibilities for your life. I will train you in these skills: awareness, acceptance, letting go, detaching, being present, and thriving. I’ll also help you learn to live with uncertainty, live in reality, work with your emotions, and be truthful with yourself. Once you’ve learned about the skills, I’ll coach you as you implement them and then guide you, helping you see and overcome the roadblocks and setbacks you might encounter. Finally, I’ll offer you a compassionate and gentle style that gives you the flexibility you want to create your life your way.

 

Let’s get to know each other. I’ll ask you about your experience and answer any questions you have about the journey.

 

I want you to succeed, so in that initial meeting, I’ll also offer you some free tools to practice independently. That way, no matter what, If you want to minimize your negative feelings, you can.

 

I believe in you!