We all know that Valentine’s Day is for lovers. But how much do you love yourself?

Think about the last time you chastised yourself for something. Maybe it was that thing you said, that thing you ate (or drank), or that thing you said you’d do that went undone. 

We spend a lot of time as humans beating ourselves up. I speak from experience here. In fact, I raised self-recrimination to an art form by the time I was in my mid-20s. And it was all downhill from there for a while.

Then I realized something. I started to give people grace for things they would do, then I would continue to beat myself up - royally - for things I did.

I had a colleague who once told me I had the patience of Job with other people. I wanted to become a better leader, so I started with trying to figure out what stress other people were in, and how I could be of service in helping them feel better about whatever that was.

Yet, I didn’t get a pass. Ever. I was a broken person full of flaws. Or, so I thought. It wasn’t until I started to give myself grace that I really raised my game.

And then a funny thing happened. I got even better at helping people out of their own angst and drama. Because I saw myself in them. True compassion comes from deep understanding, and it starts with us.

I’ll sign off this week with one more thought: we are divine beings having a human experience. While what is divine is perfect, the reality of being human is imperfect. And that’s by design. We learn by experience, and sometimes, it’s a tough lesson. The tougher your lessons, the more your soul has chosen to learn.

That’s it, and really nothing more.

From my heart to yours,

Gayle