Clever Coaching - Workplace Wellbeing’s Post

Replace self-criticism with self-compassion and self-love and see what happens. Your life will transform in every way. Just like we don’t need to berate the white lines on the road in order to use them for guidance when steering our car, we don’t need to beat ourselves up about our mistakes to learn from them. Like the white lines on the road, our mistakes can be used to guide us. No self criticism is needed. We can be astute and discerning without taking things personally. Criticising ourselves will deplete us of the dopamine needed for motivation to take action. Dangerously, the more we criticise ourselves, the more we build an unhelpful identity around our criticisms. In other words, by dwelling on our failures, we can see ourselves as a failure. Believe me, I’ve been there. Those were dark days. Even my memories of those days are darker in colour than what I see around me now. The dark cloud was more than just a metaphor. As someone who is conditioned towards self criticism, I still have lots of work to do on letting go. The more I let go, the more things just seem to flow. This doesn’t mean letting ourselves “off-the-hook” or continually seeking comfort. When we love ourselves, we don’t need to self soothe as much. And the only thing getting in the way of self love, is believing our self-critical thoughts. This cannot be under emphasised: The ONLY thing getting in the way of your self love is believing and identifying with your unhelpful thoughts. Therefore, don’t believe everything you think! When we lead with self compassion and self love, we gain the energy and resourcefulness needed to take on any challenge. We create the energy and identity of a healthy and purposeful person. It’s easier to exercise or work on meaningful tasks as we don't have as much inner resistance. Meaningful tasks are often difficult to complete and require self love to be at our best. Sure, there will still be times when we still need to tell ourselves to “just f*cking do it”. But even those words can and should be said with self compassion and levity. For the most part, though, we will operate with inner freedom and inspiration. Try it and let me know what you think in the comments below. Your relationships, health and career will blossom. Follow for more content on wellbeing, positive psychology and workplace psychology. #clevercoaching #health #fitness #coaching #success #wellbeing #wellness #wellbeingatwork #wellnessatwork #hr #humanresources #hrm #relationships