Does Being Self-Critical Pay Off?
People with higher self-compassion, or being kind towards themselves, generally have the following traits (BBC):
– Proactive Personality: They are more likely to take care of problems before they get worse.
– More Motivated to Correct Their Errors: They are more likely to fix their mistakes.
– More Compassionate Towards Others: They are less likely to try to take others down with them and are more understanding of others mistakes.
As you can imagine, being self-critical will cause the opposite of these benefits. Luckily you can develop the skills to be more kind towards yourself..
In order to GiVE kindness to others, it’s important to GiVE kindness to ourselves. In order to fully GiVE of ourselves to others, we have to make sure continually fill our tank with positivity, inspiration, healthy habits and energy, knowledge, and mastery of our skills.
Every night when our heads hit the pillow, there are two questions we can ask ourselves:
1 – What did I do well?
2 – What can I do better tomorrow?
Four ways we can all commit to improving ourselves so that we can GiVE our best to others:
– Our attitude
– Our physical and mental health
– Our knowledge
– Our skills
Improving our attitude:
– Focus on the positives
– Surround yourself with positive, inspirational people
– Listen to positive podcasts
– Watch uplifting, inspirational things on YouTube
“Attitude is equally as important as ability.” – Anonymous
Improving our physical and mental health:
– Exercise
– Proper nutrition
– Join a sports team or club
– Take walks to clear your mind and become inspired by nature
“Be active. Be healthy. Be happy.” – Anonymous
Improving our knowledge:
– Ask great questions of knowledgeable people
– Read books, articles, and blogs on the topics we want to learn more about
– Engage in meaningful conversations with friends and family, gaining a wide range of perspectives.
“Knowledge is like a garden; if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested.” – Proverb
Improving our skills:
– PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
“Practice creates confidence. Confidence empowers you.” – Simone Biles, United States Olympian
Lead with Hospitality Action Step:
Choose one of the following categories: Attitude, Health, Knowledge, or Skills, and make some commitments for how you’ll intentionally improve, GiVING Kindness to yourself so that you can GiVE Kindness to others.
For bonus points and extra kindness to yourself, make at least one commitment for each of the four categories.
Have a great day, and never stop GiVING the best of yourself and looking for the best in others.
